Right and Wrong
by TheThirdDoppelganger
Summary: AU/AH. Elena and Stefan have been married for a few years now. And their young daughter brings so much joy in their lives, they couldn't be happier. But when Damon returns to town and a secret of Elena's is revealed, can everything go back to the way they were?
1. Chapter 1

"Mommy! Daddy!" Sophia's high-pitched voice came closer and closer and so did the sound of her little feet running against the hardwood floor in the hallway. "Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! It's my birthday! It's my birthday!"

She jumped up on our bed, disrupting Stefan's and mine sleep. Stefan groaned, waking up and rolling onto his side, hoping to gain an extra minute or two of sleep. But that wasn't possible with Sophia. Once she was up, you were up too. I sat up, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes and Sophia climbed up on my lap.

"Good morning, princess." I smiled sleepily at her and she gave me a small smile in return, showing off her little teeth. She's such a morning person. I wonder where we she got that from. Stefan and I definitely aren't morning people.

"Morning, Mommy." She chirped cheerfully. I brushed a piece of her dark brown hair like mine out of her eyes. Finally, Stefan sat up, his back leaning against the headboard. Sophia crawled over to him and sat on his lap. She was always a Daddy's Girl, from the day she was born. And that was perfectly fine with me. I liked watching those precious father/daughter moments. "Do you know what today is, Daddy?" She questioned him.

"Today? Hmm..." Stefan rubbed his chin, as if he was in deep thought. Of course he knew that today was his little girl's birthday. What kind of father would be if he forget his daughter's birthday? He was just teasing with her, something he did often. "Do you know what today is, Elena?" Stefan looked at me. I shrugged, playing along with him. Sophia frowned at me. "Oh!" Suddenly his eyes went wide. "I know what today is! It's trash day!"

Sophia giggled. "No, Daddy! It's my birthday." She pointed to herself. "I'm three years old today." She held up four of her chubby fingers, winning a laugh from Stefan and me.

"Of course I knew it was your birthday, sweetheart. I was just teasing you." He kissed her forehead then laid back down on the bed, his hands behind his head. "Three years? How could that be? It feels like you were born just yesterday and you weighed as much as a half a gallon of milk."

I nodded, remembering those terrifying first weeks of Sophia's life. She was only three pounds, born about 9 weeks early at 31 weeks. Our poor baby girl spent three weeks in NICU. Every single hour she spend in that NICU felt like walking on eggshells. Luckily, she slowly became healthy and grew up like a normal baby. Always keeping Stefan and I on our toes, never knowing that she'll do next. And I couldn't be happier with my life.

"Come on, Soph, I'll go make you your special birthday pancakes." Stefan grinned and Sophia's eyes went wide. Quickly, she scrambled off of our bed and ran out of our room and downstairs to the kitchen. Stefan sat there and we both laughed at her. I never knew someone, especially someone so little, could give me so much joy. "Morning." Stefan kissed me gently.

I kissed him back. "Morning." I smiled at him. "You better go and make those pancakes for her, otherwise she'll be a very upset birthday girl." I laughed.

He laughed too. "I am, I am." Then he climbed out of our bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. A few seconds later, I heard him shouting. "No! Sophia! Don't touch that!" I laughed, wondering what Sophia has gotten into now.

I lifted the white sheets off of me and stood up, stretching and looking out the window. The view from our bedroom was of the town square of Mystic Falls. Off in the distant you could see the mountains and woods, where I spent most of my teenage years partying and drinking along with all my other friends.

I went into the bathroom that was just off the master bedroom. After I finished college, Jenna moved in with Alaric. They married after Jeremy finished high school. Jeremy went to Mystic Falls Community College and was living in his apartment in downtown Mystic Falls with her girlfriend, Anna. Stefan and I live in the house I grew up in, in the house my parents raised us in. And I loved that Sophia was growing up in the bedroom that I grew up in.

I undressed and got into the shower, letting the hot water rinse off my sleep. Smiling, I remember about three years and eight months ago, right around the time when Stefan and I finally agreed to have a baby.

* * *

_"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Caroline said, admiring the ring on her left hand. I rolled my eyes. She got engaged two weeks ago, but she acted like she just got engaged two seconds ago. I wondered if I was this annoying when Stefan and I got engaged._

_"Yes, Caroline. It's gorgeous." I sighed, putting a grape in my mouth. She recently announced that I would be her Maid of Honor. If Caroline goes crazy if something little goes wrong at a little party, imagine how crazy she'll go if something little goes wrong at her wedding. _

_"It is, isn't it?" Her eyes gleamed at the diamond. It was huge. It looked like the rock was weighing Caroline's finger down, that's how huge it is. I nodded, telling myself that I should keep my mouth shut and let Caroline enjoy it. I remember when Stefan first proposed to me, I don't think I ever stopped smiling for weeks._

_"Tyler sure is a lucky man." I smiled. Of course I was happy for my best friend to be getting married, just as she was happy for me when I got married to Stefan. In fact, she was the second person I called after he proposed. The first was Jenna and Jeremy. Caroline was even more thrilled when I asked her to be my Maid of Honor. Now, as a good friend, I'm returning the favor._

_It was a rainy Friday night in Mystic Falls. We were in desperate need of a girls' night. Bonnie was down in Richmond with her dad, so she couldn't make it tonight. Tyler, as Mayor of Mystic Falls, was attending some council meeting. And Stefan was working late at his law office. So Caroline and I had the night to ourselves. We just did what we would normally do at a girls' night - eat pizza and watch "The Notebook", Caroline's favorite movie._

_"So, Elena...how's that book deal coming along?" She asked, putting away the dishes we used in the cabinet. Wow. For the first time in two weeks, she was talking about something other than herself. _

_"Good. Really good, actually. The publishing company said that the book should be out by early June." The book I spent a year and half writing finally was liked by someone other than friends and family. It was a romance story, with a dark twist. I couldn't be more proud of myself. This was all of dreamed about since my Mom gave me my first journal when I was 10. _

_"That's good." Caroline smiled and I nodded. "Work is good for me too. Although my boss is a pig." She rolled her eyes. "He was flirting with me as I was telling him that Tyler propose." _

_I raised my eyebrows. "Does Tyler know about him?"_

_She nodded. "Of course. He threaten to beat him up for me, but that wouldn't look so good for him considering he's the Mayor."_

_Talk of Caroline's boss soon became different, random subjects. Then we hit the unavoidable subject: baby talk._

_"So...why don't you want a baby?" Caroline said, taking a sip of her tea. The fire crackled. I was sitting, curled up on the couch in the living room. Caroline was sitting on the chair next to me. I sighed, desperately not wanting to talk about it. But I've been avoiding this subject all night and Caroline was bound to bring it up sooner or later._

_"Caroline, can we please not talk about this?" I bit my lip. "Look, it's not that I don't want a baby. It's just now isn't not the right time. Not with my book coming out and Stefan is crazy busy with work."_

_"Oh, cry me a river." She rolled her eyes, gulping down another swig of her tea. "Elena Salvatore, you are just scared. I know you better than you think. You think that you aren't going to be a good mom, so you come up with stupid excuses. We both know how badly Stefan wants to be a father. Elena, he gave you everything. Why can't you give him one thing? A baby."_

_I looked down at my nearly full cup of tea that was getting cold. Then I looked up at Caroline, who was silent and was watching me. "You're right. I'm scared to be a mom. So can you please stop forcing me into becoming a mom if I'm too scared to be one?" Fed up with her, I stood up and went into the kitchen. I dumped my wasted tea into the sink and Caroline followed me._

_"Elena..." she started and I turned around, leaning against the counter and looked at her. She placed her cup down on the counter and came closer to me. "Remember freshmen year when I broke my foot and my Mom had to go away for the weekend because of some case she had to go to in Richmond?" I nodded. "You stayed at my house the whole weekend. You did my wash, you cooked for me, you even put up with my complaining." I laughed softly, remembering how many times she yelled at me because I put too many ice cubes in her drink. "If you can deal with me, you can deal with a crying, smelly baby. You'll be a great mom."_

_"You think?" I asked her, still unsure. Just the fact that another human being was fully dependent on me scared the crap out of me._

_She nodded. "I know, Elena. Besides, you'll have Stefan. And babies worship him." We both laughed. _

_"Maybe you're right, Caroline. Look, I'll talk to Stefan when he comes home, alright?" She nodded. The idea of being a mom started growing on me._

* * *

After showering, straightening my hair, getting dressed, and applying my makeup, I went downstairs. Sophia was sitting at the kitchen table, eating the sticky, maple syrup covered pancakes with her hands. Since it was her birthday, I let it go. Normally, I would scold her about using a fork.

"Hey," I said, coming over to Stefan who was standing in front of the sink, washing the pans he used for making the pancakes. He turned off the water, dried off his hands with a kitchen rag and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me quickly.

"Hey," He smiled at me. "There's some left over pancakes over there," He pointed to a plate with three or four extra pancakes on it.

I shook my head. "I'll just have some coffee." I went over to the coffee maker and grabbed a cup out the cabinet. After filling my cup up with coffee, I added some sugar and cream and took a sip. Then I went over and sat next to Sophia. "Those pancakes good, Soph?" I asked her.

She nodded, smiling wide. "Oh, yes! Daddy makes the best pancakes!" I laughed.

"That's good, princess." I took another sip of my coffee. "Are you excited for your party today?"

"Yes, Mommy!" She ripped off another piece of her pancake, covered in the sticky, amber-colored syrup that oozed between her fingers and stuffed it in her mouth. I smiled at her, wondering why I waited so long to have her.

* * *

_Caroline left just a few minutes ago. She said that she had to get to Tyler and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why. I was wiping off the granite counter top when I heard the front door open. I glanced at the clock above the stove, which read 11:37. Stefan should've been home by 7, but he has so many cases he's been working on. Salvatore Law Office is the only law office in Mystic Falls. _

_"Elena?" He called out, then he came into the kitchen. He looked exhausted. I rushed over to him, hugging him tightly and he hugged me in return. Then he kissed me softly. "How was Caroline?" He asked, rubbing my cheek._

_"Boasting about her ring, as usual." I smiled and kissed him again, just because I missed him so much. I wish he didn't work so much. I just wanted him to be home more with me. We've been married for a few years now. We've been together since Junior year of high school, married during college, and now, right after college, here we are. "Look, can I talk to you about something?"_

_"Is everything okay?" His tiredness disappeared and he became concerned. Stefan would drop anything for me. He is the type of husband who, if he hasn't slept for days, would still do whatever I wanted him to do. He was protective. Sometimes too protective._

_"Everything is fine." I nodded and the concern expression went away. _

_"Then what do you want to talk about?" He asked._

_"Caroline and I were talking...about babies." I blurted out. Stefan raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to go on. "And I've been thinking about it. And maybe it is the right time to bring a baby in this world, to become parents." Finally I looked at him and said clearly, "I want to have a baby with you."_

_Stefan's lips were instantly crashing against mine, and I could feel him smile. "Finally," He whispered against my lips._


	2. Chapter 2

"So...where is Stefan and Sophia again?" Caroline asked, while she was hanging up a banner that said _Happy 3rd Birthday Sophia!_ in bright pink letter with a silver background. That's Sophia's favorite color combination: pink and silver.

"He took Soph to get some ice cream and then to the park so we could decorate. Could you pass me that tablecloth?" I asked as Caroline got down from the chair she was standing on to hang the banner.

She took the plastic bright pink tablecloth off the counter and handed it to me. "Did you and Stefan go crazy when buying gifts for her?" She smiled. Caroline knew that we spoiled her. For every Christmas since she was born, the floor was covered in presents for her. Every single Easter, her basket was overflowing with chocolates and sweets and little toys that she adored. And there's no exception when it comes to her birthday.

I laughed. "Correction: Stefan did. I tried keeping it small this year. You know how she loves the Disney Princesses and dolls, so that's what her gifts mainly consist of." I said, pulling the tablecloth onto the dining room table. I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and sighed. "Do I have everything? Cake is downstairs in the fridge, bought candles from the store yesterday, chips and pretzels are over on the counter, presents are wrapped and upstairs, sent out the invitations..." I mumbled, saying my mental checklist out loud.

"Relax, Elena." Caroline grabbed my shoulders, looking at me in the eye. "Sophia is going to love her party. Besides, she's not going to care about whether you got plain or barbeque. All she's going to care about is the cake, presents, and that Aunty Caroline is there." She smiled. "Plus, it's not like the President is coming. It's just family and close friends."

"You're right." I nodded. "You're absolutely right. It's just... this is my little girl's first and last third birthday party. And I want to make it special. Even if she doesn't remember it." I shrugged.

* * *

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Sophia! Happy Birthday to you!" Everybody who attending Sophia's birthday party sang. We were all gathered around the dining room table. Sophia was sitting proudly right in front of her cake, the candles making a flame in her eyeballs.

"Make a wish, sweetheart." Stefan said to Sophia. He was sitting right next to her, gently kissing her cheek. Sophia closed her eyes for a few seconds, wishing only what a three year-old would wish. Most likely a pony or more ice cream or something childish like that. Then she blew out the candles, getting a few specks of spit flying into the air. Everyone clapped and Stefan reached out to her cake, swiped off a piece of icing from the bottom corner and then wiped the icing on Sophia's nose, causing them both to laugh.

"Smile!" I said to both of them. They looked up at me, both of them smiling wide, then I quickly snapped a picture. If there's one thing I learned during the first 3 years of Sophia's life, was to take as many pictures as possible. Years go by fast, especially when you have little kids. Sometimes I wish that I could just keep Sophia little for ever. But I guess all parents think that. I'm sure that my parents thought that about me and Jeremy.

Stefan started cutting the cake and I started scooping the ice cream out on the paper plates. We work good as a pair. After everyone was served their cake, I went into the living room where Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, and Anna were all sitting. I sat down on Jeremy's lap, sighing.

"Tough day, sis?" He joked with me. He was probably thinking what was so exhausting planning a three year old's birthday party. So I playfully punched his arm, not too hard, of course. It wouldn't matter anyway. My hardest punch would feel like a tap to him.

"Very tough day." I yawned, digging my head into his neck. God, he had a lot of muscle. What happened to the little boy with no front teeth and arms the size of twigs. Oh, that's right. He grew up. We both did.

We both grew up in this very house. This is the same room where, when I was 11 and having a sleepover with Bonnie and Caroline, when Jeremy and two of his friends scared the crap out of us. They turned the power off, knocked at the window then ducked so we couldn't see them. Finally, they ran in the front door, all of them wearing some type of scary Halloween mask. I don't think Caroline, Bonnie, and I ever screamed so loud in our lives.

"Soph really enjoyed her gifts, Elena." Jenna said, smiling. The years are starting to show on her. From the little laugh lines on her face to the creases in her forehead. Can't blame her, though. She spend the first twenty-seven years of her life partying and drinking. Then her sister died. And then she had to care for two teenagers while she was going to college.

"Yeah. How much did you guys spend on her gifts? Two thousand? Ten thousand?" Rick joked and I rolled my eyes. He took a sip of his beer. Jenna was sitting on his lap on the couch. We left Sophia open her gifts before we cut the cake since she was begging Stefan and I. And we couldn't say no to our little girl.

"No, of course not." I laughed lightly. "But I'm sure that if I gave Stefan a million dollars, it would spend it all on barbie dolls for Sophia. He's pretty whipped." I grinned.

"Well...do you and Stefan planned on having anymore little, chubby kids to spoil?" Anna asked. This was her first time speaking to me all day. I didn't like her, to be honest. There was just something about her. Something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. But Jenna liked her. And Jeremy, of course, loved her. So I guess I'll just shut up and let him be happy.

I shrugged. Stefan and I never really talked about having more kids. We were perfectly happy with Sophia. More than happy. More than more than happy, if that's even possible. "Maybe...possibly."

"I would love a little nephew to spoil." Jeremy grinned.

"A little nephew?" Stefan said, coming into the living room with his hands in his pockets. He sat down on the chair, across from me and Jeremy. I smiled softly at him. I love him. No doubt about that. He's everything I could ever want in a husband. And I was so happy with life.

I nodded. "Yeah. Jeremy said he would lov-" Suddenly I was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I sighed and got up from Jeremy's lap. "I wonder who that could be." I mumbled.

All of the guests were here. Jenna, Rick, Jeremy and Anna were in the living room. Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler, and Matt were in the kitchen, laughing loudly. And I'm sure Sophia was in there with them. She loved all four of them like they were her parents. And they treated her like she was a little princess.

Stefan followed me to the door and I opened it. There stood Damon Salvatore - with his leather jacket, black shirt, black pants, and black boots. His signature smirk was on his light pink lips, his skin was pale and smooth like a statue, but what stood out most (as it usually did) was his amazing, sea blue eyes.

But, clinging onto his arm was a girl. It definitely wasn't an odd sight to see Damon with a girl on his arm, but it was _this_ girl that made it odd. She had dark brown hair that came down to the middle of her back in long, cascading curls. She had olive-toned skin and chocolate brown doe eyes. And she looked _very_ similar to me.

"Hello, brother." Damon said, inviting himself in our house and looking around. "Ah. It's I never left." Stefan stepped in front of me, blocking me from his older brother. I grit my teeth, watching him intrude into our room.

"Why are you here, Damon?" Stefan demanded.

"I'm here to see my little niece. Heard it's her birthday party. Thought I stopped by." Then he pointed to the girl who was clinging onto his arm as if it was the only thing keeping her from falling off a cliff. "And this, is Katherine. My girlfriend."

"Pleasure to meet you." Katherine smiled, flashing her white, straight teeth. Stefan just nodded, not paying much attention to her. All of his attention was focused on his cocky, ignorant older brother.

"How did you even know about her party?" I stepped next to Stefan, crossing my arms against my chest. I wasn't going to let him ruin Sophia's party. Sophia never even met her uncle. She didn't even know she had a uncle. The only uncle she knows of is Jeremy.

"Some little blonde barbie posted it on Facebook." He said, stepped closer to me. I inhaled his scent - leather with the faint smell of bourbon. Of course.

"Caroline.." I mumbled.

"Yes! That's her name!" Damon grinned.

The last time I saw Damon was right before Stefan and I agreed to have children. It's a night that I refuse to remember. I tried blocking it out. And sometimes it worked. And other times, it didn't. The guilt kept me up at night. Stefan never found out. No one ever found out. We agreed to keep it a secret. But for some reason, I had a funny feeling in my stomach that Damon never keeps promises.

Suddenly, Sophia came running into the living room. Caroline, Matt, Bonnie, and Tyler were trailing right behind her. All of their faces went white when they saw Damon. No one thought that we would ever see him again. Sophia came right over to us and Stefan picked her up, still glaring at Damon.

"Who's that, Daddy?" Sophia asked.

"I'm your Uncle Damon, Sophia." Damon said. "I'm your Daddy's brother."

I swallowed hard, remembering when Damon and I first met.

* * *

_"Here's your prompt." Mr. Mace said, pointing to the chalk board with his metric stick. Why would a creative writing teacher need a metric stick? Wasn't that strictly preserved for math and science teachers? "Write a story about an alarm. Any time of alarm. An alarm that counts dows to death? An alarm that counts down to when you find your soul mate? Write whatever you wi- Mr. Salvatore!" _

_The whole class followed Mr. Mace's gaze to the back row, where Damon Salvatore, a senior, was sitting. His feet were up on his desk and he had his phone out. Cell phones were forbidden in Mace's class. Probably because Mr. Mace was a cranky, old man who still lived in the 1970s. Damon rolled his eyes, obviously not caring. _

_"Give me that." Mr. Mace snapped at him, grabbing the phone from Damon's hand. He marched back to his desk and put Damon's phone in his desk. "Anyway! It's time to pick partners for the writing project." He threw a bunch of tiny sheets of paper, with everyone is class names on them, into a hat. "Miss Gilbert, you pick first," Mr. Mace held the hat right in front of my face. "since you are my best student."_

_I smiled sheepishly. I was only his best student because I was too scared to say anything in his class. I was the only freshmen in his class. The rest were either juniors or seniors. Thank God it was a writing class. And I was an amazing writing, according to Mr. Mace._

_I dug around the hat for a few seconds. Finally I pulled out a little piece of paper with the words "Damon Salvatore" written neatly on it. I frowned. I would rather have the acne-covered-nose-picking Billy in the front row than the arrogant, cocky, sly Damon. _

_He grunted. Obviously he wasn't too happy about it either. Then the bell went off, and I was relived to get out of his class. I stood up, gathering my books and turned around, only to be centimeters away from Damon. I gulped. "Elena, right?" He said. _

_I nodded nervously._

_"You know where the Salvatore Boarding House is, right?" He didn't give me time to nod or even croak out a yes. "Good. Be there. Saturday at 11 o'clock. And don't be late, I have things I have to do." And with that, he walked out of the classroom._


	3. Chapter 3

_Nervously, I knocked on the Salvatore Boarding House door. Mentally, I cursed Mr. Mace for pairing me up with Damon. Needless to say, it was pretty awkward telling my Mom to drop me off at a senior guy's house for some project. She thinks we're dating. The thought made me giggle. Me? Dating Damon Salvatore? Only when pigs fly. _

_Damon opened the door after I waited patiently for a minute or two. He was wearing a black shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I swallowed hard, looking at him. God, his eyes were so blue. Not bright blue like Matt's. But dark, and deep. Like they were hiding a bunch of secrets. And maybe they where. "H-Hi." I croaked out. Then I cursed at myself for being so stupid._

_"Hey," He said casually. He stepped aside and I stepped into his house. _

_It was huge. No, that was an understatement. It was gigantic. Leather couches, bookcases that were as tall as ceilings, little antiques scattered all over the tables. My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide. "This is your house?" I walked over to the one of the leather couches that was right in front of a majestic fireplace with a crackling fire. I put my bag down on the couch and took off my jacket._

_Damon shrugged. "My Mom loved collecting antiques. And after she died, my Dad really didn't bother to take them down..."_

_I bit my lip. "I'm sorry. About your Mom." He shrugged again. He must be used to people apologizing to him about his mother's death. He probably even thinks it's annoying. I know I would if my Mom ever died._

_A few seconds passed in awkward silence when he finally broke it. "Well...I don't have all day. Are you going to start working on that or that?" He motioned to my bag. Suddenly, I felt completely stupid. He was probably dreading having me come over. He was a senior, I was a freshmen. We never talked. He probably thought I was as annoying as fungus. _

_Quickly, I started digging around in my bag and pulled out my notebook and a pencil. "Right, right." I said down on the slippery couch and set the notebook down on the coffee table. Then I looked up at him. "Aren't you going to help me?" I raised my eyebrows. _

_He chuckled a bit, making me feel even more stupid. "Really, Gilbert? You're good at writing, shouldn't you _want_ to write this? Besides, do you actually think I wanted to take this class? I only took this class because I needed it to graduate. And trust me, I want to get out of Mystic Falls as soon as possible."_

_It was strange. I felt offended when he called me "Gilbert". I shouldn't feel offended. At school, he was on the top of the food chain. He was the great white and I was the plankton. I sighed and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. "Then what are you going to do? Just sit there and watch me write?"_

_"Of course not. I have plans." He started walking towards the door._

_My eyes widen and I stood up quickly and followed him. "You can't just leave me! Damon!" There was no way I wanted to be in his house without him. Is anyone else even home? Is he really that stupid to leave me alone in his house? What if I was some thief or something?_

_"Relax." He rolled his eyes, clearly wanting to go. He shrugged on his leather jacket. "Stefan is upstairs. He'll come down and keep you company." Then he hollered up the stairs. "Stefan!" Then he looked at me, lowering his voice. "Have fun doing my project, freshmen prude." He smirked then walked out the door._

* * *

"What does he even want?" I said, pacing back the forth in the kitchen. Damon and Katherine and everyone else left Sophia's party. Sophia was upstairs, happily sleeping. Damon and Katherine left as quickly as they came. It wasn't a coincident that he was back in Mystic Falls around the time of Sophia's birthday. If he told Stefan...

"I don't know." He shrugged. "He probably wants to get you back." I bit my lip. The last time we saw Damon, Stefan and him got into a huge argument. Over me. This was right around the time I found out I was pregnant with Sophia. The argument ended with Stefan having a bloody nose and Damon having a puffy lip. Since then, neither of us have talked about him.

"He's not getting me. In fact, he never even had me." This was a lie, of course. But Stefan didn't know that. And he never will. I kept this a secret for years and I will keep it a secret for the rest of our lives. What doesn't he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, it was a once and done thing. I barely even thought about it until Damon showed up. But then I remembered everything...

"And he never will." He reassured himself. I nodded. Then he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Elena. I love you." He kissed me.

"I love you too. I'll be up soon, alright?" He nodded at me then he turned and went upstairs to our bedroom.

* * *

_"What do you want now, Damon?" Stefan came downstairs, sounding slightly annoyed. He turned the corner from the stairs and stood directly in front of me, he looked surprised. I would be too if I had a stranger in my house. But we weren't completely strangers. He was a freshmen too. But we don't have class together. Caroline had a huge crush on him and Bonnie did too a few years ago. "Elena, right?"_

_I nodded. "Um..yeah. Damon and I have a project to do together. But he..." I looked over my shoulder at the door. "He left...so.." I sighed. Still surprised that Damon left me alone to do our project. It was stupid of me to think that he would actually help. He was one of those people who didn't care about their grades._

_"Oh." He said with a raise of his eyebrows. "Well, you must be in Heaven." He mumbled._

_I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you say that?" _

_He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "You know...most girls would kill to see what Damon Salvatore's house looked like. And here you are standing in it. Then again, he left so..." His voice trailed off. _

_"I don't have a crush on Damon." I defended myself quickly. Then I felt myself blush. Maybe I was lying to myself. Damon was definitely attractive. And his lips were sculpted by the Angels, as Caroline would say. But he was also very __arrogant and selfish and just a total jerk._

_He rolled his eyes, a silent sarcastic comment. I bit my lip. This conversation quickly became awkward. "What project are you and him doing anyway?" He asked, changing the subject. Which I was completely thankful for it._

_"It's a creative writing essay." I shrugged then walked over to the couch where my bag way. _

_I might as well just leave. I was about to lift my bag when my eyes drifted around the doorway, looking into another room - a library. Before I could help myself, I went into the room. The walls were covered in bookshelves and the bookshelves were covered with books. Old books, new books. Authors I didn't recognize. Titles I heard of but never read. So many books. So many stories. So many new words, adventures, characters, lives. I think I might have gasped because I heard Stefan chuckled.  
_

_"A lot of books, huh?" Stefan was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed against his chest. I nodded, still gazing around the room. "What's your favorite?"_

_"My what?" I turned around and looked at him, confused._

_"Your favorite book." He stepped into the room. He walked over to a dark brown leather couch in the room and picked up a worn book that was sitting on the couch. "Mine is _Wuthering Heights _by Emily Bronte."_

_"I know who wrote _Wuthering Heights_." I said sharply. Then I immediately regretted my tone. He acted as if I was a child, though. One who didn't know who wrote _Wuthering Heights_. I cleared my throat. "It's a favorite of mine too. Favorite author?" I asked him._

_"Mark Twain. Especially the _ Adventures of Huckleberry Finn._" He shrugged. "Yours?"_

_"Ayn Rand. I love dystopian novels." I said, still gazing around the room when my eyes landed on _Anthem_, a novel by Ayn Rand. I pulled it out and starting flipping through the pages. "My favorite of her's." I whispered._

_"It sounds to me like you read a lot, Elena." Stefan stepped closer to me until his face was only a few inches away from mine. "And your taking a creative writing class. Maybe you'll be a writer someday."_

_"Maybe." I repeated, looking into his green eyes. Green like emerald. Green like the color of my journal that I will go home to and write about this in._

_Suddenly, we heard the shuffle of feet and both of us turned our heads, seeing Damon in the doorway of the library. He grinned at us. "Forgot my keys." He snatched a set of keys off a table and swung them around his finger then turned around and started walking away again. "Condoms are upstairs in my room, Stefan." He joked._

* * *

"Bye, sweetie." I hugged Sophia and kissed her forehead. Then I looked up at Caroline. "Call me if she needs anything." I stood up and Sophia went into the living room, probably to play with her toys that she brought along with her. Caroline offered to watch Sophia today, Stefan was at work and frankly, I needed some time alone. I needed to sort things through. To think more about what Damon wants in Mystic Falls.

"I will. Bye, Elena." Caroline smiled and I left Caroline's house. I got into my car and sat there. Thinking.

Yesterday, Damon mentioned that him and Katherine were staying at Gully's Hotel, which is in the town square, a popular hotel to the tourists of Mystic Falls. Stefan would never know, he's at work. I could just lie and say that I spent the whole day at home, cleaning. Then I would make supper and the three of us, Stefan, Sophia, and me would sit down at the kitchen table and he would comment about how good dinner was, like he always does and things would be normal.

I had to know if Damon had some sort of secret agenda, which includes telling Stefan about the incident. I had to know. I had to demand him into telling me. If he was planning on telling Stefan about the incident, I would figure out a way into stopping him. I'll do something. I just have to know. Damon isn't going to ruin my family.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I started driving in the direction of Gully's Hotel.

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I cannot tell you how happy I am that you guys are liking the story. This is a Damon/Elena story, so there will be Damon/Elena in this story. I promise. I just don't want the story to be rushed! And sorry I'm taking such a long time to update - my sister is annoying me and I'm busy with school. Haha. So keep reading and reviewing! **


	4. Chapter 4

Gully's Hotel is huge. It sits right in the middle of the town square, next to The Mystic Grill. This is where everyone stays when they visit Mystic Falls. I've only been in it a few times, usually with my parents when they were still alive. Actually, this is the place where Stefan and I had our wedding reception, in General Lee's Ballroom.

I walked over to the main desk, where a young woman with chin length jet black hair. "Hello, Mrs. Salvatore." She smiled wide. Nearly everyone is town knows of Stefan and I because our families are part of the Founding Families. And we don't know half of them. The Salvatore's and Gilbert's are like royalty in Mystic Falls.

"Hi," I smiled, trying my best to be polite. If word got back to Stefan that I was looking for Damon, I don't know what he would do. I couldn't say I was looking for Damon, it would spark curiosity. "Can you tell me which room my husband is staying in?" The girl must have wondered why Stefan would be staying in a hotel when he lives only a few blocks away, but she didn't ask.

The girl looked at the computer and shook her head. "Sorry, Mrs. Salvatore. The only credit card being used currently in this hotel belongs to Damon Salvatore."

"Oh! I completely forget! Stefan used his brother's credit card this time. Damon treated him to a little getaway here." That's a stupid reason. But once again, she didn't ask any questions.

"Alright then, his hotel room is 357." She smiled and I thanked her. Then I got in the elevator and went up to the third floor. It took a few minutes of searching before I found room 357.

I could still turn back. If Stefan found out I went to see Damon, he'd be furious. Without thinking, I knocked on the door and immediately regretted it.

A few seconds later and no response. I decided to just leave. He was probably down at a bar or something. I turned to leave and the door opened, Damon in the door way. He looked surprised. As I'd've was expecting me. "Elena." His tone sounded amused.

"Damon." I responded. He was wearing jeans and no shirt. I couldn't help myself but to look down at his chest and stomach. He must have noticed too because he smirked. I cleared my throat and his smirk disappeared. "Can I come in?" He stepped aside and I went into the hotel room. In it, was a king size bed - unmade. The television was on and playing some crime show. And the view was of the battlefield from The Battle of Willow Creek. "Where's Katherine?" I asked.

"Shopping." Damon said, sounding surprisingly close. I gasped and whirled around, Damon only a few centimeters from my face. "She found out about a outlets." His breath was so cool to gave me goosebumps. "Where's your hubby and daughter?"

"Stefan is working and Sophia is at Caroline's." I gulped and wish I didn't come here. It was all a big mistake. _Everything. _That night was a mistake. Coming here was a mistake. What I should do is march out of the room, get back in my car, go back home and wait for Stefan to come home. That's a good wife would do. But I'm not a good wife. And Damon is the only one, other than me, who knows that.

"So then why are you here?" He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I knew it wouldn't been long. It's been..what? 3 years? No one would resist me for _that_ long, Lena." I flinched. He used my old nickname. I clenched my fists, suddenly angry at him. I want to go home. But for some reason, it felt like my feet were glued to the floor. I had to talk to Damon. I had to.

"You aren't planning on telling, Stefan, are you?" I blurted out. The whole car ride here I rehearsed what I was going to say to him over and over again in my head. I had a speech planned out but suddenly everything went blank. My heart was racing. Being near him was electrifying. It made my heart beat so much that it couldn't be healthy. It made my palms get sweaty. It made my stomach do cartwheels.

"Telling him what?" He said, knitting his eyebrows together. I grit my teeth. Damn him for acting like this isn't a game. Damn him for coaxing me into giving him what he wanted that night. But we both knew deep inside that it wasn't entirely his fault. It was mine too. I could've said no. I could've walked away and I would never be in this mess in first place. But then, like now, there is some type of unknown force that is forcing me to stay with him. I felt trapped and I started getting dizzy, but I remained standing.

"This isn't a game, Damon. If you tell Stefan about...us and what we did...he would never forgive me. H-He would leave me." Finally, after almost four years of refusing to say it aloud, I finally said it. If Stefan found out that Damon and I slept together, he would leave me. And I don't think I could live without Stefan. He's been my rock. He was the one who encouraged me to publish that book. He was the only who truly helped me get over my parent's death. He was the one who gave me Sophia.

Damon looked at me with his icy blue eyes that could make anyone melt and want to give their bodies to him. I know I did. "He has to know, Elena." He said, sternly. He wasn't trying to be harsh. He sounded almost concerned. For who? I had no idea.

"Why?" I shook my head, denying him. "H-He doesn't have to know. He was clueless about it for more than three years. And we're happy, Damon. I'm begging you. Please don't ruin it on us." My voice croaked. I reached out and grabbed his hand. We both looked down at our hands, clasped together and I quickly pulled mine away. That definitely wasn't planned.

Damon sighed, shaking his head. It seemed like he changed a lot in the past few years. Before I slept with him, he was the cocky bad boy that would get whatever he wanted. But now, he seems like a whole different person. I wonder how many women he slept with since me. God only knows how many women he slept with before me. "Elena, this isn't just about you and me and Stefan anymore." He sat down on the bed.

I sat down next to him, confused. "What do you mean?" I looked at him.

"There's a chance Sophia is mine, isn't there?" He looked up at him. He voice was calm and soft. Like the boy that I was assigned that project with so many years ago never existed. He definitely changed. I couldn't help but thing that I was the cause of his change.

It took a while for his words to sink in, though. I sat there, staring down at the floor. My hands were shaking and it felt like the walls were closing in on my. I shook my head fast, denying whatever he just said. "No, no. Th-That's not possible. Stefan is Sophia's father. He has to be."

"Elena, we slept together just a few weeks before you found out you were pregnant." Sophia looked nothing like Stefan. But she looked nothing like Damon either. She looks exactly like me. With Stefan's personality, but Damon's attitude. I realized that a long time ago about her. She had this amazing ability to give me the puppy dog look whenever she wanted something and, like Damon, she knew I couldn't resist. I always just assumed that it was some gene in the Salvatore blood, a trait that Stefan passed onto Sophia. I never thought about the possibility that Damon passed it onto Sophia.

I was so stupid to never think of that. Since I found out I was pregnant, I _knew_ that Stefan was Sophia's father. Now I'm starting to doubt myself. My chest was rising up and down, too quickly. I had to leave. I had to get out of here. I think Damon was about to reach for my hands when I stood up quickly, wiping my palm sweat on my jeans. "I-I have to go." Then I ran out of the hotel, not looking back at Damon.

I got into my car and sat there in the parking lot, thinking. It must have been a few hours until I finally cleared my head. I decided that I was going to take Sophia for a paternity test. If Damon was wrong and he wasn't her father, then I would keep going on and pretending like that night between Damon and I never happened. But if he was right, then I would have to tell Stefan. And God only knows what will happen between Stefan and Sophia and I. Stefan, father or not, could never leave Sophia. He raised her. He loves her. Just as much as he loves me. But he would leave me.

I didn't realize that I was crying. My mascara was ruined and my cheeks had tear stains on them. I looked at the clock on my phone - 5:03. Sophia was getting hungry, and I promised her that I would make her favorite dinner tonight. Stefan should be home by 7. I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself down. I made a mental list in my head of what I was going to do.

I am not going to tell Stefan that Damon and I slept together.

I am not going to tell Stefan that I went to see Damon today.

I am going to take Sophia to get a paternity test.

If Stefan is Sophia's father, I will tell Damon to get the hell out of town and things will reside as normal.

If Damon is Sophia's father, I will tell Damon and Stefan. And then only Stefan could decide what happens from there.

Then I reminded myself that I couldn't change what happened between Damon and I. But sometimes I wonder to myself if I regret it...

* * *

I parked my car in Caroline's driveway. After taking a quick check in the mirror to see if there was any sign that I cried, which there wasn't, I got out of the car and let myself into Caroline's house. There was no point in knocking. She already knew I was coming.

"Mommy!" Sophia's perky little voice hollered and she came running into the foyer of the Lockwood Mansion. Lucky Caroline, marrying Tyler earned her a lot of money, a mansion, and tons of property. I scooped up Sophia and propped her on my hip.

Caroline followed Sophia into the foyer, holding her hands up in defense. "I swear, I was not the one who gave her all that sugar." She smiled. And I smiled too, holding Sophia and talking to Caroline felt normal. Unlike the conversation I had only a couple of hours ago.

I laughed a little. It was a forced laugh, but I didn't think Caroline would notice. "Did you have fun, sweetie?" I looked at Sophia. Chocolate was all around her mouth and on her teeth. I knew that whether she was part Damon or part Stefan, I would love her no matter what.

I froze. If Damon was her father, how was this going to affect her? She spent the first three years of her life fully believing that Stefan is her father. We would have to tell her - when she's older. But, of course, that's only if Damon is her father. Too many ifs.

Sophia nodded fast, her dark curls bouncing up and down. "Yes! Aunty Caroline and Uncle Tyler and me played this really fun game, Mommy! We have to buy it! Can we buy it?" She giggled.

"Soph, why don't you go say goodbye to Uncle Tyler. He's upstairs." And with that, Sophia ran upstairs shouting 'Uncle Tyler! Uncle Tyler'. Then Caroline looked at me, her arms crossed against her chest. "What's wrong?" She looked concerned.

I shook my head. "Nothing's wrong, Caroline. I'm fine." She couldn't possibly know that I went to see Damon. Were my eyes still red from crying? Sophia didn't notice anything, and if she did, she would've asked. Three year olds have a tendency to blurt out things.

"Elena Salvatore. I've known you since the first grade. I know when your sad, happy, in love, crazy, and practically every emotion you can think of." She looked at me, right in the eyes. "Tell me."

Caroline hates Damon. She hated him ever since the argument between Stefan and him, right after we slept together. That was when Damon told Stefan that he loved me and all hell broke loose. I still think that Damon was drunk that day. Sometimes I wonder that if that argument never existed, I would be with Damon right now.

Oddly enough, though, I felt like I could trust her. She was right, I've known her since the first grade. We've been through everything together. We know all of each other's secrets. And, believe it or not, Caroline gives amazing advice. I looked at her and took a deep breath. "Damon and I had sex a-and now he's back and he thinks that he's Sophia's father and Stefan doesn't know and I have to get Sophia a paternity test and Stefan will l-leave me if he finds out that I s-slept with Damon and my whole world is crumpling, Caroline." I blurted out. I don't think my eyes even got watery, I think tears just starting rolling down my face.

She blinked a few times, in shock. Her mouth was wide open and so were her eyes. "Y-You and Damon?!" I nodded dumbly and sat down on the couch, feeling dizzy. But it felt so good to get that off my chest. To finally share a secret that I've been keeping for years. Caroline, processing the information slowly sat down next to me. I held my head in my hands, still crying. She slowly rubbed my back. "When?" She asked quietly.

"A few weeks before Damon and Stefan got into that huge argument." I looked up at him, still sobbing like a baby. "I-I don't know why I did, Caroline. I love Stefan. I really do. And I kept it a secret for so long because I pretended that it wasn't real - that is didn't happen."

"But it did, Elena." She hugged me and I hugged her back, crying into her shoulder.

"I don't know what to do, Caroline." My voice cracked.

Caroline pulled away from the hug and tilted my chin up, looking at me right in the eyes. "This is what you're going to do. You're going to do what the old Elena would do. Write in her journal. You know how whenever you write in your journal, your mind becomes clearer. After you write, take as much as time as you need and then you can talk me. I'll go with you to get Sophia her paternity test and I'll be with you for everything, okay?"

I nodded.

Sophia and Tyler came running down the stairs, Sophia laughing like crazy. The sight made me smile a little. She was a joy. She was beautiful. Sophia ran over to me and placed her tiny hands on my knees and looked up at me. "Why are you crying, Mommy?"

I wiped away my tears with my finger and shook my head. "Nothing. I was just thinking about my parents, that's all." Sophia asked plenty of times about her grandparents. Stefan and I told her that our parents went to this beautiful place called Heaven and that one day, a long time away, she'll go there too.

"It's okay, Mommy." She climbed up on my lap and hugged me tightly.

I wish I knew whether I was hugging Stefan or Damon's little girl.


	5. Chapter 5

The house smelt like Italy. Sophia and I went into the kitchen. Stefan was standing there, by the stove mixing something in a huge pot. He turned his head and looked at us, smiling. "Hey, you two." Sophia ran over to him and he put down the spoon, picking her up. He tickled her stomach and she laughed like crazy. "And how are my two girls?" He came closer to me and kissed my forehead.

"Mommy was crying at Aunty Caroline's." Sophia said casually. My eyes widen slightly and I looked at Sophia. Three year-olds can't keep their mouths shut. Stefan knitted his eyebrows together in concern. "She said it was because she was thinkin' of her Mommy and Daddy."

Stefan sighed and looked at Sophia. "Honey, can you go upstairs and play in your room?" He set Sophia down and Sophia raced upstairs, talking to her imaginary friend or something. Then Stefan turned to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked into his green eyes and he looked into mine. I wonder if he could see my secrets in my eyes. Husband and wives weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other. Isn't lack of communication one of the main reasons marriages fail? And isn't the second cheating? The odds weren't looking so good for us. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

I nodded, forcing a small smile. "Of course I do, Stefan. I was just having a moment. I'm fine, honest." I kissed him lightly. Instantly I knew that something was missing. Usually when Stefan and I would kiss, I would feel this spark. This energy pulling us closer and closer to each other. It was unexplainable. Like the air between us was charged with the energy that we know as love. But now, it's just air. Nothing special about it. Just plain, old air with the smell of tomato sauce in it.

"Please tell me if you're having another one of your moments, then." He smiled a little and kissed my forehead. He went back over to the stove and restarted mixing the sauce. I bit my lip, leaned against the kitchen counter, and crossed my arms.

I thought about telling him my little secret right there and then. He's the type of person who wants to know the truth - good or bad. In my case, the truth was bad. Very bad. Unbelievably bad. I decided to put myself in his shoes. If Stefan was to sleep with his ex-girlfriend, Rebekah, and then she was pregnant with his girl but I raised that child thinking it was my own, even though that's not possible, would I be mad? No.

I'd be furious.

So I decided to keep my mouth shut. I'll have to tell him soon enough if Sophia is Damon's. Maybe even if Sophia isn't Damon's, I'll tell him. Many years from now when we're on the front porch on the white rocking chairs and we're eighty years old with wrinkles everywhere. I thought of a quote from the famous Buddha, "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." I've kept this secret hidden for 3 years, I wonder how many more years it can withstand.

"How was your day?" Stefan asked me, snapping me away from my train of thoughts. I looked up at him and I realized that I was playing with my hair - a nervous habit of mine. He put the spoon down and came over to me, grabbing my hand away from my hair and holding it. "What did you do today?"

I simply shrugged. "It was fine. After I dropped Sophia off at Caroline's, I just went to the spa and got a manicure." It sounded believable. I would believe it. Lying was something that was easy for me, obviously. If it wasn't, my little secret would've been announced years ago.

"A manicure?" Stefan raised my eyebrows and looked down at my hand that he was holding. My nails were colorless, my cuticles needing a good cut and my hands were pretty rough. "Doesn't look like you had a manicure. Are you sure everything is alright?" He looked back up at me.

I yanked my hand away from him, stuffing it in my back pocket. "Did I say manicure? I meant pedicure." When in fact, my toes were just as bad as my hands. But Stefan's eyebrows went back to where they normally are and he shrugged. "How was work?" I asked, even though I didn't really care. I only said it because I wanted to change and subject and because my Mom would always ask my Dad how work was for him. She said it's something that wives do.

"Oh! I can't believe I forget to tell you! I'm actually working on this huge murder case from Richmond, Lena. Richmond! Someone in Richmond actually heard of me and wants me to get their case." He started ranting on and on about this new case. I pretended to listen, but the only thing I really cared about was how he said 'Lena'. It sounded so different from the way Damon said it. Damon said it with something in his voice, Stefan said it like it was just another word.

While he was going on and on about the boring murder case, in my opinion anyway, he was preparing the table for dinner. He put a cluster of noodles on three plates, then soaked them in the creamy tomato sauce. Spaghetti - Sophia's favorite. She's Italian, just like her father. Whomever that may be. I decided to just push that from my mind. I didn't want to think about it. I just want to enjoy a nice dinner with my family. It might be one of the last ones we have.

Sophia came downstairs and sat at the head of the table, between Stefan and me. Like Stefan, she was ranting on and on about another boring topic - the game she played at Caroline's. She said it was "Sorry", and her favorite part was being able to knock Tyler's player off the board. Stefan promised that the next time he goes to the store, he'll get the game for her.

While Stefan and Sophia chatted, I watched Stefan closely. He aged a few years since I first meant him, while some people say it looks like I didn't age at all.

Sometimes I question the word "love". What really is love? Stefan would tell you that it's about people caring for each other a lot and willingly to help them through all their problems. Sophia would tell you that love is what people have for you when they buy you toys. I also wonder if it's possible to spend the rest of your life with one person. My Mom always said that you only live once, so you better do it right. All your choices will affect you, if they haven't already. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice by marrying Stefan. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice by sleeping with Damon.

What did I really feel for Stefan? When we got married, I would instantly answer "Because I love him.". But now, I'm not so sure. Maybe it's been lust all this time and we were oblivious to it. Or maybe we really do love each other and I'm not thinking correctly, too much for one day. I decided to think it's the second reason.

* * *

_"Oh, Elena! You look beautiful." Jenna admired me, smiling wide like my Mother would be doing if she were here right now. Jenna's eyes glistened to what I think were tears, threatening to spill out any moment now._

_"Jenna, please don't cry. I don't want you to ruin your mascara." I smiled softly, gently rubbing her shoulder. She smiled too and hugged me tightly._

_"I'm going to get my seat now. See you soon, Miss Gilbert." That's the last time she'll ever say that. She gave me one last smile, reached her hand up to wipe away her tear then left the room, leaving me alone. Caroline and Bonnie were somewhere in the church, probably adding finishing touches to their makeup. I was in the church's basement, standing in front of the mirror and looking at myself._

_I was wearing a white wedding dress, that clung to my body and fell just above the floor. My hair was pulled up in a curly updo, Caroline did it and she's like the angel of hair. Bonnie did my makeup and Jenna just watched, telling me about my Mom and Dad's wedding. It was in this church and she tells me that she remembers my Mom being in this very same room, preparing for her own wedding. The thought made me tear up._

_There was a knock at the door. I pulled my gaze away from the mirror and looked at the door. "Come in!" I called out. Jeremy entered the room. He was wearing a suit, which was a miracle since he hates wearing suits. I smiled at my handsome brother._

_"Ready?" He asked, holding his arm out, ready to escort me down the aisle. I nodded, took one last look in the mirror as Elena Gilbert, then turned back and smiled._

_"As ready as I'll ever be." I came closer to him, locking my arm with his, careful not to dirty my dress. We walked out of the room. Bonnie and Caroline were standing there, in their dark red dresses. They were beautiful. "You look beautiful," I said aloud to them and they smiled. Just as they were about to say something, the Pastor came over to me and smiled._

_"You know what to do." Then the music started and the Pastor went down on the aisle._

_Caroline and Bonnie walked down the aisle. I gripped nervously onto Jeremy, feeling as if I was going to fall over at any second right now. I think I was starting to sweat, which isn't attractive for a bride. I clutched onto my bouquet of roses in my hand nervously. My breathes were getting faster and faster. Maybe I'm not ready. Maybe I'm too young. Then Jeremy's feet starting moving and I walked next to him in sync. It's not too late, maybe I can turn and run back around and then -_

_Stefan was smiling. It calmed me down and I knew that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with the man up on that alter. Not a doubt in my mind. He's my soul mate. We're going to grow old together and have kids and live the most perfect lives anyone can ever imagine. I love him, he loves me. Nothing to worry about except tripping on my way towards him. _

_Jeremy handed me off to Stefan and we looked at each other, directly in our eyes. I smiled, knowing it was silly to be so nervous earlier. We held each others hands. listening to whatever the Pastor had to say. I wasn't paying much attention, I was just looking into the eyes of my future husband._

_"I do." Stefan said._

_"I do." I said, clearly._

_Then we kissed and everyone cheered. We looked out into the crowd of the church, and I spotted the one person who I didn't think would come. Stefan's brother, Damon._

* * *

After I helped Stefan clean up dinner, he told me that he was taking Sophia to the store to buy that game for her. I watched the car leave the drive way then I went to our bedroom. I sat down on our bed. In the nightstand, I pulled out the little purple journal that was underneath a bunch of papers that I've kept since the 8th grade - mostly notes that Bonnie and I shared. I grabbed and pen and starting writing in my journal, it felt like writing in foreign language. So strange and unfamiliar. I haven't done it in years.

_Dear Diary,_

_The truth always comes out. Even when you don't want it to, it's more powerful than you. A way to avoid someone finding out about the truth the bad way, you have to tell him in the good way. But it's not always that easy. Sometimes when you think you're helping someone by keeping something from them, you really aren't helping them at all. In fact, you're only making the situation worse for them._

_Years ago, I made a mistake. A mistake that I couldn't even write down on paper, because then I knew that it would be true. And I didn't want it to be true. You can't escape your past. The truth is that I slept with Damon. I don't know why I did. I still don't know why. It's just something that I did off of a whim, clearly I did not plan on cheating with Stefan. But one thing that I know for sure is that night with Damon was the most amazing night of my life. I shouldn't say that, thought. Not when I have a perfectly good husband who is out buying our three year-old daughter a game. That's the worst part - Sophia might not even be his. Maybe I don't love Stefan anymore. Maybe I love Damon._

__I stopped. I couldn't write anymore. It felt wrong, it felt like I was constantly cheating on my husband. But I was - I was always thinking of Damon. I shut my journal and stuffed it back in the drawer and swallowed hard. Then I forced a smile and went into Sophia's room, started putting away her toys and I pretended that what I just wrote in my journal never happened.

Stefan and Sophia came back an hour later. We all sat down at table, ready to play Sorry when Stefan's phone rang. After leaving the room and talking on it for a while, he came back and announced, "I have to go to work. Sorry, princesses." He kissed Sophia's and mines head then left the house before I even got to say goodbye.


	6. Chapter 6

I glanced over at the clock - 11:48. Stefan was late, like always. It's been a two weeks since he announced about the huge murder case from Richmond. Since then, I barely saw him. For seven days a week, he's been at the law office. Sophia thinks he's on a vacation.

Finally, I decided that I was just going to go up to bed. No point in waiting for him to come home, he'll be exhausted. But I'm exhausted too. And I just finished cleaning up the kitchen for dinner. Needless to say, that I was furious with him. When I confronted him about working so much, he promised that he will try to be home by dinner. I held off dinner for an hour, waiting for him. Of course he wasn't home on time.

Sighing, I put the rag down on the kitchen table and rubbed my forehead. I tried not thinking about Damon so much, but that was next to impossible. So, instead, I put all my focus on Sophia. Was Sophia too cold? Was Sophia too hot? What toys does Sophia want to play with? Is Sophia's room cleaned? And so far, it's been working. It's just easier that way. To put all your thought into one subject to avoid another. But problems never just go away. They stand there and wait for you to deal with them.

The door swung open and Stefan rushed in, carrying his briefcase and his coat. He had bags underneath his eyes. A good wife would tell him to get some sleep then make breakfast for him in the morning. But I'm not a good wife. "It's almost midnight, Stefan. You promised to be home by dinner." I crossed my arms against my chest.

Stefan sighed and set down his briefcase and coat. "Listen, Elena, I told you that this murder case is big. I can't afford to screw it up." He stepped closer to me, but I backed away from him.

"Right, I get it. Work is always more important than your family!" Who am I to say that? The one who cheated on him and who gave birth to a daughter that might not even be his? But I furious at him. The kind of furious that you don't think before you speak. The kind of furious that destroys relationships. Plus, being tired doesn't help at all.

"That's not true! I'm working because I need to get money to support you and Sophia!" His voice raised. Stefan gets grumpy when he's tired. "Dammit, Elena, how could you even say that?! You know that I'm only trying to be the best father and husband I could be!"

"Yeah, well, maybe your best isn't good enough!" I retorted. I couldn't believe the words were coming out of my mouth. But I couldn't stop them. I knew it needed to be said. "I'm exhausted, Stefan and I-" He cut me off.

"Exhausted? Exhausted from what?! Staying home and cooking?! Oh, so tiring, you poor thing you." He growled. "You have the nerve to say you're tired when I am out working in an _actual_ job! One that doesn't require sitting around my ass all day writing about love!"

Then I just couldn't help it. I stepped closer to him and slapped him, right across his face. So much anger that it just all exploded in one loud slap. Both of our eyes widen, surprised that I would even dare to do that. Stefan raised his hand and rubbed his cheek, that was red from the blood rising up beneath his skin. He looked at him and gritted his teeth. "Don't you ever do that again." He hissed.

"Gladly," I said with a mock smile then I ran past him and out the door. I got into my car and put on my seatbelt. It felt like Stefan didn't care about me and Sophia anymore. I need him to care. Because if he stopped caring when I was already starting to not care, then neither of us would care about each other and our marriage would be a failure. I don't want to end up in divorce.

Tears were rolling down my cheeks when I started the car. I started driving, I don't know where though. Where was there to go? If I went to Caroline's, she would make me talk to her about everything. And I don't want to talk. I knew what I wanted.

* * *

_"Hamburger or hotdogs?" Stefan asked Matt, who was sitting right next to me. It was July and the air was hot and sticky, but that didn't stop Stefan and I from holding a barbeque. All of friends, family, and some of Stefan's co-workers were there. I was sitting at the picnic table with Matt, Tyler, Caroline, and Bonnie. Jenna was off talking to Carol Lockwood. Jeremy was swimming in the pool with Anna and some of the coworkers kids and Alaric was talking on the phone, something about his work._

_"Hamburger, please. Stefan Salvatore makes the best hamburgers in town." Matt grinned and I laughed, rolling my eyes. I love having big get-togethers with all of our friends. It was a nice time for a beer, a swim, and a little chit chat._

_Stefan laughed too. "Old family recipe." Then he back over to the grill and started cooking Matt's burger. Stefan looked good cooking. I have a feeling that if I ever use a grill, I'll get my eyebrows burned off. Stefan was wearing denim shorts that came to his knees, and a light brown t-shirt. I was wearing white short-shorts and an orange floral tank top. My hair was up in a high pony tail, it was too hot to wear it down._

_"God, I really wish I brought my swimsuit. It's just too damn not." Caroline complained, fanning herself with her hand. Sweat was slowly moving down the sides of her face. Her hair, too, was up in a messy ponytail. But the little hairs that framed her face were matted against her face with sweat. It had to be a 100 degrees._

_"You don't need a swimsuit. Just go skinny dipping." Tyler grinned. Matt burst out, laughing. I think he had too much to drink. But that was just fine with me. His sister, Vicki, just recently overdosed on drugs and thinks have been rough for him, especially since his Mom is never home with him. Matt was my first friend, then boyfriend, but even after I broke up with him, we remained good friends._

_"Tyler!" Bonnie scolded him, even though she was laughing too. "There are kids at this party. You can't just let Caroline show her stuff when a five year old is watching!" Bonnie took a sip of her beer._

_"Then that five year-old will have an amazing story to tell to his friends at elementary school when school starts back up again." Tyler said, still laughing. I rolled my eyes, wondering why on earth I ever became friends with these idiots. I was laughing, too, though. Maybe we all had a little bit too much to drink._

_"No!" I shook my head. "Stefan's a lawyer, if people found out there were people skinny dipping at one of his parties, he'll never get a clients." All of us were still laughing. Laughing so much that our stomachs hurt. Why was this so funny? Why were we laughing so much._

_Caroline stopped laughing and looked in the direction behind me. The rest of us all caught on and stopped laughing too, even Matt whose breath reeked of alcohol. "Elena, isn't that Damon?" I turned my head to see the one and only - Damon Salvatore. Even in the middle of the summer he's wearing jeans, and not sweating a drop._

_"Why is he here? I thought you said he wasn't coming.." Bonnie frowned. She was always a member of the Hate Damon Club. But my face went white and I got goosebumps, even if I was sweating. Only about a week ago did we sleep together. Not a soul knows, except for the two souls that committed the crime. If he tells Stefan I'll kill him._

_"Stefan didn't invite him." I stood up and marched over to him, ready to holler at him to leave. We swore to each other that we would never tell anyone. After the crime was over, I started crying and I couldn't stop myself. If Stefan found out that I cheated on him with Damon, he would never get over it. "What are you doing here?" I crossed my arms._

_"I came to the picnic." Damon grinned. "Stefan is my little brother and you're my...mistress...so I figured that I would be more than welcomed to attend the family picnic." His face was less than the span of my hand away from my face. _

_"I'm not your mistress." I snapped at him. _

_"Come on, Elena, you can't pretend like what happened didn't happen." He whispered and reached out, grabbing my arm lightly. I looked up in those sea blue eyes that swallowed me whole. Damon Salvatore was perfect. "I can't pretend like what happened didn't happen. Elena...every second of every day I'm thinking about you and the night that we shared. I can't get you out of my head. I need you, Elena."_

_I yanked my arm out of his grasp. "I can easily pretend that we never slept together. I'm already doing it. That night was a mistake, I was drunk. And I would gladly take that night back if I could. And you would be damned if Stefan or anyone else ever found out about that night. It never happened, Damon. I never even loved you. You're just my brother-in-law and that's all you'll ever be." I clenched my fists at my sides._

_Damon almost looked hurt. But that's strange, Damon never acts hurt. He looks like he was about to say something when we heard Stefan's voice coming closer and closer to us. "Why the hell are you here?!" Stefan shouted angrily and stepped in between Damon and I. Damon ignored his younger brother and was still looking at me, still looking hurt. "Answer me, Damon." Stefan grabbed Damon's collar. "Why the hell are you here?! To look and touch my wife?!"_

_Finally, Damon's blue eyes looked at Stefan. "I'm leaving town." He swallowed hard. "I just came to say goodbye to Elena." Stefan seemed just as surprised as me because he didn't say anything for a while. Damon slowly stepped around Stefan and kissed me gently on my forehead. "Goodbye, Elena." He whispered._

_"I-I.." My voice croaked, looking up at him. I felt guilty for saying all those things to him. Maybe it wasn't a mistake. Everything happens for a reason. I slept with Damon for a reason. I didn't want Damon to leave._

_Suddenly, Damon's was punched in the jaw by Stefan. They fell to the ground together, Stefan still punching Damon. Damon sat there, enduring the punches, he probably thinks he deserves it. I couldn't let this happen. "Stefan!" I cried and tried grabbing Stefan's arm. But it was too busy punching the life out of his brother. "Stefan, stop it!" After a few more seconds of intense fighting, Stefan finally got up. I think Damon must've started punching Stefan too sometime during their brawl because Stefan's nose was bleeding and Damon's lip was all puffy, it looked like to would burst any second._

_"Never came back here again. We don't want you here. You aren't even my brother anymore, Damon." Stefan hissed at him. I looked at Damon, still on the ground breathing heavily. I wanted to help him, but I knew I couldn't. So I tore my gaze away from Damon and held Stefan's arm._

_"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." I said quietly and dragged him back into his house and into the kitchen to wash the blood off his face. I knew that that would be the last time I ever saw Damon._

* * *

__I went directly to Gully's Hotel, driving so fast that I almost hit a stray cat on the road. But I didn't care. I need Damon. I didn't care that if seeing him makes me a slut or a whore or whatever you want to call me, I just needed to see him. I needed to kiss him and feel his silky black hair. I need to feel the pressure of his lips against mine. I need to feel him entering me, giving me all the pleasure I could ever need.

I didn't even bother going to the front desk. I have his room number memorized - 357. I quickly took the elevator up the third floor and easily found his room. I knocked on the door, not feeling nervous as I did the last time. I knew that I wouldn't regret it this time. I didn't even care that Katherine might be in the room. I just needed my Damon.

Damon opened the door, wearing jeans and a button up black shirt. Before I could help myself, our lips were crashing together. But he pulled away slightly, his eyebrows knotted together. "Wh-What are you doing? What about Stefan?" But he held my hands gently.

I shook my head. "We got into an argument." I answered instantly, not wanting to talk. "I need you, Damon." Damon smiled a little at that and then we kissed again.

Without breaking the kiss, we came inside the hotel room and slammed the door behind us. He picked me up and pushed me against the door and I wrapped my legs around his waist, still kissing. My hands ran through his ink colored hair. Our breathes were getting heavier and heavier, but we wanted more and more of each other.

I broke away from the kiss and ripped off Damon's shirt, throwing it to the floor. Then I ran my hands over his chest and he carried me over to bed. I laid down on top of him and started kissing his chest. I sat up and took off my shirt, revealing my lacy black bra. Then we started kissing more.

Wait.

This isn't right. I shouldn't be cheating on my husband again. I don't want this to turn into an affair. I tried pulling away to tell him to stop, but every time I pulled away, he would reach up for another kiss. I gave up then. We both wanted this. We both needed this. We both needed each other like we need air.

I don't know what I want. Maybe I want Stefan. Maybe I want Damon. But I decided to forget about that for tonight and just give myself over to Damon for tonight. I wish he wouldn't make me love him. Tonight is all about Damon. I'll think about the damage all of this will do in the morning. Just let me enjoy tonight.

Here we go again. I'm under the spell of Damon Salvatore.

Which is exactly where I want to be.

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting. I cannot describe to you how much that means to me. **

**Anyway, like the way this story is going? Big surprises ahead! Keep reading to find out everything. I'll update as soon as I can!**

**By the way, the song for this chapter has to be One More Night by Maroon 5. I was listening to it as I was writing this.**


	7. Chapter 7

Sunlight was streaming in through the windows when I woke up. I rubbed my eyes and stretched. Then I turned around, excepting to see Stefan, when I saw Damon's icy blue eyes looking at me. Memories of last night came running back into my head: Stefan working late, when I slapped him, sleeping with Damon.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Damon smiled and kissed my forehead. I swallowed hard and looked up at him. He looked happy. Like actual happy. Not the kind of happy you pretend you are when your aunt gives you a sweater for Christmas for the fifth year in a row.

I rubbed my forehead, remembering more and more with each second. "Wh-What happened to Katherine?" I looked at him. I was naked, only the white sheets covering me. And I'm assuming Damon is also naked beneath the sheets.

"We broke up a while ago." He shrugged, laying back down on my bed. But I kept myself propped up, looking at him, with my elbow. The sheets were still covering my breasts, so I wasn't showing him anything. But it's not like he never saw them before. "She's a bitch in disguise."

"Yeah, well, I'm a slut in disguise." I sighed, finally laying down. Then I covered my face with the sheets, angry with myself. How could I have been so stupid to run off to Damon after Stefan and I got into a little argument. How could I have been so stupid to hit him when he didn't do anything wrong? Maybe I was just looking for an excuse to sleep with Damon. Maybe I was just wanted to take all my anger about myself out on someone else.

"You're not a slut." Damon said. I peeked out underneath and sheets and looked at him. We both frowned.

"I'm absolutely a slut. If I wasn't a slut, I wouldn't have cheated on my husband by sleeping with you - twice." My eyes started to water. I felt terrible to doing this to Stefan again. But isn't that a sign? Maybe our marriage is really a miserable one, we're just hiding it from ourselves.

Damon stayed silent for a few minutes then he finally spoke up. "Do you love me, Elena?" He said quietly. He wasn't looked at me, he was looking at the TV in the far corner of the room.

"I don't know." I answered.

"Do you love Stefan?"

"I don't know."

I realized how pathetic that must sound. It's always been Stefan for me. But I can't deny that there hasn't been something between Damon and me. I really wish I wasn't so confused right now. I wish I could talk to someone, so maybe they could nudge me in the right direction.

Finally, I got up and searched for my clothes on the floor. "I-I need some time to think, Damon, alright?" I pulled on my bra and underwear then I put on my pants. "And I'll take Sophia to get a paternity test soon. Just please give me some time to think." I pulled on my shirt and came over to him.

He smiled sadly at me. "Take all the time you need, princess." He kissed me. Not too rough, though. It was nice and gentle, but not sloppy. "I love you, Elena." He whispered against my lips. My eyes started to water again. I was going to break one of the Salvatore brother's hearts. They both love me. And I think I love both of them. We just don't know who is better for each other.

Maybe it's some sort of mistake. They say that everyone has a soul mate, that there's a person out there for everyone who they should spend the rest of their lives together. Maybe there was a mistake where Damon and Stefan were both of my soul mates. But I can't belong to both of them. That's not how it works. It's not fair to them.

I put my jacket on and left the hotel. I got into my car and looked in my mirror. I pulled my hair up in a messy pony tail, I found the pony tail holder on my wrist. I frowned at my reflection. What did Damon and Stefan love about me so much? I wasn't that pretty, just average. I wasn't that smart, just average. But I knew I was definitely one thing. A slut.

I drove back to my house, the guilt was nearly eating me alive. Am I going to lie to my faithful husband again? I already have told him so much lies, I don't think I could handle another. But I have to. Just for a little while. Just until I have the courage to tell him the truth.

When I got back home, Stefan was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. It was early and a Saturday, Sophia was probably asleep. I went into the kitchen and Stefan heard my footsteps, he looked up at me. He still looked tired. I wonder how much he slept last night. "Where were you?" His voice was cool, calm.

"At Caroline's." I lied. Lying is like a sport. The more you do it, the better you get at it. If lying was an official sport, I'd be in the Olympics. "How's Sophia?" I asked, quietly.

Stefan shrugged. "She's fine. She's still fast asleep, she loves sleeping in. Just like her father." I felt another pang of guilt. He might not even be her father. He deserves to know if he is her father or not. I'll have to get Sophia to get the test soon.

"Look..." I sighed and he looked at me sadly. I could just tell him everything right now. Blab it all out. It will all be over. But I couldn't. "I'm sorry about last night. I was tired and cranky and I just wanted you to be home more." In reality, I wanted him to be home more so I wouldn't be able to think about Damon.

He came over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked up into his emerald green eyes. "It's okay, Elena. You're right. I should be home more." He sighed and let go of me, walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. I walked over and sat down in the chair next to him. "When I was Sophia's age, my Mom died. My Dad worked more and more and I barely ever saw him. I don't want that to be the case for Sophia. I want her to have parents who love her and are always with her. I want her to have parents that get along. Can we try not to fight anymore?"

I swallowed hard, once again remembering that he might not even be her father. But I forced a smile for his sake. "Of course. I hate fighting with you." He reached out for my hand and I took it, gently stroking his knuckles with my thumb.

* * *

_"Oh Stefan, look it's Times Square!" Our bus stopped and Stefan and I got off, holding hands. We were a fresh out of college couple who were spending a week in New York City to celebrate ending college. Stefan has been in New York City before, plenty of times. While this is my first. My Mom promised to take me out here for my 18th birthday, but of course that never happened._

_Stefan laughed at my eagerness. "It's beautiful, isn't it? All the lights but so many people." He muttered the last part as a group of teenage boys rushed past him, bumping into his shoulder. I shrugged and tightened my grip on his hand. The last thing I wanted was to loose him in a crowd. "So, where to first?"_

_"I don't know, Stefan. You've been to New York hundreds of times before. Be my tour guide." I smiled and he did too. It was night, so the lights in Times Square were even brighter and all of them actually hurt my eyes a little. I love New York City from what I've seen of it, but I could never live here._

_"Alright. Well, I'm going to show you a little place in Rockefeller Center. It's only about a ten minute walk from here." I nodded, curious to what he has to show me. He pulled me away from Times Square and we started walking. I looked up at the tall buildings, wondering how people built them. I'd be afraid that I would fall._

_After about 15 minutes of casual walking, we arrived at a place on a corner called Magnolia Bakery. Outside was a door with a line that ran all the way down the building. I raised my eyebrow at him. "You brought me to a bakery? Stefan, we have like a million bakeries in Mystic Falls."_

_He rolled his eyes. "Elena, this isn't just any bakery. It's Magnolia Bakery. I can't believe you never heard of it. It's my favorite bakery in New York, by far." He grinned and walked all the way down to the end of the line. I sighed, not so eager to wait in the long line. Stefan must've recognized my impatientness so he looked at me and kissed me. "Come on, Elena. I promise that as soon as we're done here, we'll go right back to Times Square."_

_I nodded. "Okay." I smiled softly. I yawned. It was only about 8 at night, but I was exhausted. We just arrived in New York City yesterday evening. We went out for something to eat then returned to our hotel. Today, we made plans to see the Statue of Liberty. And sometime during this week, Stefan wants to see Ground Zero. It's the one place in New York City he hasn't been to._

_After about 20 minutes of waiting, we finally got inside Magnolia Bakery. It smelt delicious, needless to say. We went over to where they were selling cupcakes. Each cupcake was decorated perfectly, like they weren't made to be eaten. Stefan had a sweet tooth, that I knew. But I'm now starting to think that all of his teeth are sweet. "Pick which one you want." He said._

_"That one." I pointed to a vanilla cupcake with light blue icing. The worker took the cupcake and put it in a box. Stefan asked for the red velvet one with cream cheese icing. The worker put Stefan's cupcake in the box too then we paid and went back out to the nosy city. "Can we go back to Times Square?" I asked._

_"Of course." Stefan nodded. We held hands and started walking back towards Times Square._

_Times Square is like a different universe compared to Mystic Falls. In Times Square, seeing a homeless man holding a sign that says "Need money for weed" is something you see everyday. I don't think I ever saw someone homeless, not until I went into New York City. Stefan says that they have some money, and possibly even a home. They just look poor so they get more money. That's a good tactic when you think about it._

_When we finally got right in the center of Times Square, we held hands and looked at the electronic advertisements. Finally, Stefan looked at me and said. "Elena? Can I ask you something?"_

_"Of course, Stefan." I turned my head and looked at him, curious to what he had to say._

_Before I knew it, he got down on one knee and took something out of his pocket - a box. A jewelry box. A little black velvet box that could only mean one thing. "Elena Gilbert, I loved you since the moment we ran into each other on the first day of Junior year right outside the mens' bathroom." He said with a small chuckle. "You've supported me through everything and I've supported you through everything. You are the women I want to spend the rest of my life with. So, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" He opened the box, to reveal a small but gorgeous diamond ring._

_I laughed. I couldn't help but laugh. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life, and I knew that it would be Stefan who asked. "Yes! A million times yes!" I was still smiling and laughing like an idiot. People stopped and watch our little scene that was right out of a movie. Stefan smiled wide when I agreed and he slipped the ring on my finger. Then I picked me up and twirled me around, all while kissing me passionately._

* * *

"Look, Uncly Jerm!" Sophia smiled wide and she marched around Jeremy and Anna's apartment living room. "I'm a princess!" Sophia was wearing a Snow White dress. She begged me to wear the dress to visit Jeremy and Anna. And I couldn't resist her puppy dog face. "And you're my prince."

Jeremy laughed. "Of course, Princess Sophia." He picked her up and twirled her gently then set her back down on the floor. "May I ask you to dance, Princess Sophia?"

Sophia smiled and nodded. "Yes, Prince Jerm!" Jeremy was bending down and holding hands with Sophia as they danced around the cramped living room apartment. I smiled, watching them. It was a beautiful sight. Jeremy and Sophia had always been close. He was her Godfather. Caroline was her Godmother.

"Hey, Soph." Anna came into the living room and put her bag down on the couch. "Are you hungry? I have cookies in the kitchen." She smiled. Sophia nodded and raced into the kitchen with Anna following, laughing at Sophia's antics the whole way.

Jeremy turned and looked at me. The smile on his face was gone and was replaced with a serious look. "Elena, you know you can tell me anything, right?" It's been about a month since I slept with it was impossible for Jeremy to know anything. Damon wouldn't tell anyone that we slept together again and I'm obviously not that stupid to tell anyone either. Maybe my expression was saying something that my mouth wasn't saying.

I nodded my head, faking a smile. "Of course I can, Jer. Is everything okay with you and Anna?" I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Changing the subject quickly was a trick of mine, and I've became a master at it.

Jeremy bit his lip to hide an incoming smile. He looked back at the kitchen to make sure the coast was clear. Then he walked over to the bookcase that was covered with books next to the fireplace. He reached behind a book and pulled out a little black jewelry box, similar to the one Stefan proposed to me with. He walked back over to me and opened it - an engagement ring.

My jaw dropped and I smiled at my little brother. Anna wasn't all that bad. And she made Jeremy happy, which was all that matter. "Oh my God, Jeremy!" I said in a loud whisper, praying that Anna wouldn't hear us. "I'm so happy for you!" I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Jeremy laughed. "I hoped you would be. Now I just have to get her to say yes." He walked back over and hid the box where he pulled it out from.

"Of course she'll say yes. She loves you, anyone can see that. You have nothing to worry about." I smiled and Jeremy smiled back. "I shouldn't be gone too long, just an hour or two. Grocery shopping is so much easier without Soph begging me to buy every box of cookies known to man. But call me if you need anything."

I left Jeremy and Anna's apartment. Of course I wasn't going to the grocery store. It was just another lie. I drove back to my house in record time. Stefan was working, of course. We haven't fought since I slept with Damon. But we haven't really been talking either. Once I got into my house, I went directly upstairs to the bathroom.

Nestled in the cabinet on the third shelf behind where I keep my 'woman supplies', as Stefan calls them, is two pregnancy tests. Right before Sophia's third birthday, I thought I was pregnant. Of course I wasn't. But I had two leftover tests. Since then, Stefan and I didn't make love.

I missed my period and I just had this gut feeling. So I figure that I should take the pregnancy test now.

Five minutes later, after doing my business on both sticks and waiting the painstaking 3 minutes, I turned over both of the pregnancy tests.

Both of them said positive.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't remember the last seconds after I saw that both of the pregnancy tests came out positive. My mind was racing and tears were rolling down my cheeks. It had to be Damon's baby, I didn't sleep with Stefan in weeks. My hands were shaking and I wrapped both of the pregnancy tests up in toilet paper. I ran downstairs and got back in my car.

In about five minutes, I was at the Lockwood Mansion. Caroline's car was here, but Tyler's was gone. Thank God. That means Caroline and I will have the house to ourselves. Caroline opened the door and her jaw dropped when she saw me. "Oh my God, Elena. Are you alright?" I shook my head and stepped inside the house. Caroline led me over to the couch and we both sat down. "Elena Salvatore, tell me what's wrong."

"I-I'm pregnant." I stuttered out. Caroline looked at me, smiling. I wiped away my tears. I'll have to tell her that I slept with Damon again. I'll have to tell her that I'm 100% sure that this is Damon's baby.

"Elena, this is great! I'm sure Sophia would love to have a little brother or sister. So, tell me, why are you crying?" Caroline looked at me sympathetically. I swallowed hard and looked at her. I stayed silent and Caroline finally spoke up after a few seconds. "Elena...?"

"Because it's Damon's baby!" I shouted. It sounded angry. Of course the only person I was angry at was myself. "St-Stefan and I got into a fight a few weeks ago and I-I had to see Damon. So I went to Damon's hotel and we slept together, alright?! N-Now I took a pregnancy test and I'm pregnant with Damon's baby, Caroline. I'm sure of it! And Sophia might be Damon's too and I just..." I erupted into sobs.

Caroline let me cry for a while. She sat there, gently rubbing my back. All Stefan ever wanted was kids, and here I am, pregnant for a second time with a kid that isn't even his. And our first kid together might not even be his either.

After about a half an hour of me crying my eyes out, Caroline stood up. "Come on, Elena. Let's get you to the hospital." She said quietly and went over to the coat rack and pulled on her expensive coat.

"Why?" I asked, standing up too and wiping away my tears. I'm sure that my face is all puffy and red and I'm sure my eyes are too.

"I want a doctor to confirm your pregnancy. There's still hope." She no longer sounded sympathetic. She hates Damon. Everyone hates Damon: Jeremy, Jenna, Stefan, Tyler, Bonnie, Matt, Alaric, even Anna. Of course she wouldn't approve of this. Maybe my relationship with everyone is ruined. All because of one night. Maybe two nights.

I sighed softly and nodded. "Fine. But..can we please go to a different hospital? Everyone in Mystic Falls know about Stefan and I. Word can quickly get out that I'm pregnant- if I'm pregnant- and people will wonder why I'm with my best friend at the hospital and not my husband and why I've been crying."

Caroline nodded in agreement. "Get in the car, Elena." We both walked outside and got into Caroline's expensive car. She started driving in the direction of Grove Hill, which was a tiny little town with a tiny little hospital and people who don't know of Elena Salvatore or Stefan Salvatore or Damon Salvatore and how the three are connected.

We arrived at Grove Hill Hospital. Caroline was silent the whole ride here. I guess I deserve it. We walked into the hospital and up to the front desk. A women with a purple shirt, dark skin, and black hair was at the desk. She looked up at us. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," My voice croaked. I cleared my throat to make it sound better. "I...um...I think I'm pregnant.." I somehow managed out.

"Here, fill out this paper then go out into the waiting room." She pointed to the waiting area and handed me the paper. I filled it out, using Elena Gilbert as my name. No point in bringing the Salvatore name to the hospital. And if luck was on my side, I wouldn't be bringing the Salvatore name into this world again.

After I finished filling out the paper, Caroline and I went into the waiting room. We sat down, Caroline still silent. I sighed, wishing I would get at least some support from my best friend. She picked up a magazine and started flipping through it, reading about the latest celebrity gossip.

"Elena Gilbert!" A voice called and I turned my head, to see a male nurse standing in the doorway. I stood up but Caroline remained sitting. I guess I'll have to go through this one alone. I followed the nurse back into a small room and sat down on the patient chair.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert." The nurse smiled. He was quite handsome. He had brown hair and blue eyes, but very different from Damon's eyes. I smiled politely at him. "Alright, I'm just going to take a bit of your blood and then we'll run the pregnancy test. Shouldn't take too long." I nodded. A few minutes later, he had a small vial of my blood in his hand. "I'll be back in about 10 minutes." He promised then left the room, leaving me and my thoughts alone.

10 agonizing minutes later, he came back into the room, smiling. "Well, Miss Gilbert, the results came back positive. You are, indeed, pregnant. About a month and a half in. And this is your second time being pregnant, correct?" I nodded, I filled that out on the paper the women at the front desk gave me. "Then you know the drill - eat what you want whenever you want, satisfy your cravings, and get a lot of rest."

"Thank you." I said, shaking.

* * *

_"Stefan!" I called out from the bathroom, looking down at the pregnancy test and smiling wide like an idiot. "Stefan!" I hollered again, eager to share this exciting news with him._

_"What?!" He rushed into the bathroom, looking concerned. But his concerned expression_ _instantly went away when he saw my happy expression. I pointed down to the 6 pregnancy tests on the counter, all of them stating that I was pregnant. He looked down at the tests, then back up at me, also smiling like an idiot._

_We've only been trying for about a month now. But Stefan wanted to get me pregnant as soon as possible. I couldn't be more happier to give him what he wants. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, we kissed. We kissed so much that I had to pull away to catch my breath. _

_"We're going to be parents, Elena!" Stefan laughed and I laughed too. The thought of us being parents sounded very surreal. This moment felt surreal. "Isn't that amazing?! We're going to have a little person that's a mix of both of us."_

_If my parents were here right now, I'm sure that they would love to be grandparents. I remembering talking to my Mom about Matt when we first starting dating and she said "Now, Elena, you're 14. I would love to be a grandparent one day, but when you're older." I smiled, thinking of my Mom. Jeremy would love to be an uncle, especially if it's a boy. Jenna would love to be a great aunt. And Tyler, Caroline, Bonnie, and Matt would spoil the kid like crazy. _

_"I love you, Stefan." I smiled at him and we kissed more. Then he set me down on the ground and slid his hands up the bottom of my shirt and onto my stomach. There was nothing there to show that I was pregnant. I don't think I'll start showing for a while. But still, there's a very little human being in there. Our little human being._

_"I love you too." He whispered to me then kneeled down on the ground and kissed my stomach. "And I love you too, little one. Do me a favor, will you? Grow healthy inside your Mommy's stomach. Then when you're all ready to come out, tell her, okay? Because I cannot wait to hold you." He kissed my stomach again._

_"You're so corny, Stefan." I laughed. But it was a sweet moment, and I couldn't wait for more sweet, family moments. I know that there will be tons of them._

* * *

I walked out of the little room and back into the waiting room where Caroline was. Silently, I nodded to her, telling her that I was pregnant. She frowned and got up. We left the hospital and got back into Caroline's car and started driving room.

"You know that you're going to have to tell Stefan everything, right?" Caroline looked at me as she was driving. I sighed and nodded. "I mean, like right now, Elena. As soon as I drop you off at your house and you walk through those doors."

"I know what you meant, Caroline." I snapped at her. I shook my head, instantly regretting using that tone with her. "I-I'm sorry, Care. It's just..this is a lot. And I will tell Stefan everything as soon as I walk in the door. I just might need to spend the night at your house tonight if he kicks me out." I mumbled and last part.

"He's not going to kick you out." Caroline shook her head. She was still frowning, probably wondering why she ever became friends with a slut like me. I didn't respond to her, I just sat silently in the car, looking out the window.

That car ride home was the shortest car ride of my life. I thanked Caroline for taking me to the hospital and she wished me good luck. I know that she was still mad at me for sleeping with Damon. If the situation was reversed, I would be mad at Caroline too. But I can't change history. And history tends to repeat itself.

I knew that Stefan and Sophia were home. On the car ride to the hospital, Jeremy texted me and told me that Stefan got off work early and picked up Sophia. He still thought I was grocery shopping. I swallowed hard and opened up the door, stepping inside the house. Then I shut the door behind me.

Stefan walked into the foyer, holding up my journal. My journal was opened to my last entry - the one about Damon.

**Author's Note: Short chapter, I know! I promise that the next chapter will be longer! Elena's story is no where close to being over, I have a lot of plans for this story. So keep on reading and reviewing! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

Stefan walked into the foyer, holding up my journal. My journal was opened to my last entry - the one about Damon. My eyes widen and so did my mouth. I stared at him in shock. Stefan looked angry, but also hurt at his same time. "Wh-What are you doing with my journal?" It's unlike Stefan to read my journals, and I would never read his.

"Sophia was playing up in our room, I guess. She found your journal and brought it downstairs and asked me what it was. It was opened to this page," He pointed to the page where all my secrets are exposed. "and I saw Damon's name, multiple times. I just couldn't help myself, Elena. I had to read it. Y-You slept with him?!" He looked at me in disgust, like I was some kind of rabid animal.

My eyes watered. I looked at the man, my husband, whom I kept so many secrets from and lied to him so many times. I looked at the pain that I caused him. He must think horribly of me now. Even I think horribly of me now. "Let me explain, Stefan." I pleaded.

"Explain?! Explain what?! That you slept with my-" He stopped suddenly, closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, steading himself then opened his eyes. "Our daugh- Sophia is upstairs. I'd rather not have her hear us argue. Let's talk about this, like adults, okay?" I nodded dumbly and followed him into the kitchen. I sat down at the kitchen table and he poured tea into two cups, added sugar and cream then sat down next to me, placing a cup in front of me. "Tell me everything."

I swallowed hard. "I slept with Damon a few weeks before the barbeque. You remember the barbeque, right? When Damon showed up? I know that I should've told you that we slept together...but I just couldn't. I didn't write about it in my journal either. No one knew about it besides Damon and me. So I pretended like it never happened. When he showed up at the barbeque I was terrifed that he would blab. I told him that it was a mistake. That I never loved him and I was drunk that night. That's why he left down."

"Was it a mistake?" Stefan asked. I'm surprised about how well he is holding himself together. If I was in Stefan's shoes, I would probably be sobbing like a baby. I shrugged. "You wrote in your journal that that night you...spend with Damon was the best night of your life. Is that true?" He was having trouble saying those words.

"I know what I wrote, Stefan. And it was one of the best nights of my life." I looked up at him. "The other one was our wedding night." Stefan looked away from me and I bit my lip.

"Continue on with your little story." He said, finally looking back at me, the pain in his eyes never going away.

"When I found out I was pregnant with Sophia, I was so sure that she was yours. The thought that she might be Damon's never even crossed my mind. I had no clue that Damon was going to come to Sophia's party. I went to visit him at the hotel the next day, I was scared that he was going to tell you about the night we shared together. He told me that he thinks that Sophia is his. So I told him that I would get Sophia to take a paternity test."

"And did you? Did you get Sophia a paternity test?" Stefan said, raising his eyebrow. I shook my head.

"No, I didn't. I'm scared to." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "But I was going to, I swear. I decided that if Sophia is yours that I wouldn't have told you about everything with Damon. But if Sophia is Damon's, then I would have to tell you." I paused. "Let's just say Sophia is definiety yours and you never saw my journal, would you want to know about Damon?"

"No." He said quickly, his eyes darting towards me like daggers. "But I guess then I would be mad at you for keeping something this big from me." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This is a lot for one day, Elena. Tomorrow we'll take Sophia to the hospital to get the paternity test done. Together."

I nodded. "Okay. And like you said, let's not fight. We'll pretend to be all happy and everything until the results come in. But, until we know who her father actually is, I don't want Sophia to think there's anything wrong between us."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "Elena, despite all of this, I still love you." He looked at me. "And right now, I need you to tell me the truth. Do you love me?"

I nodded.

"Do you love Damon?"

"I don't know."

Stefan sighed and stood up. "I hate that I still love you after all of this. It would be much easier if I could hate you."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, sinking down into my seat. Stefan was right, this was too much for him for one day. I'll keep it a secret that I'm pregnant. It's just better that way. And I'll avoid Damon until I tell Stefan that I'm pregnant and until the results from the paternity test come back in.

"I'll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight. Goodnight," Stefan said and with that, he left the kitchen, leaving me all alone. Tears started rolling down my face as I thought of our conversation. So Stefan knows that I slept with Damon once and that Sophia might be Damon's. I still have to tell him that I'm pregnant with Damon's kid. If Stefan doesn't divorce me because of me cheating on him the first time, he'll definietly divorce me because of me cheating on him the second time.

* * *

_"Elena!" Jenna called up the stairs. "Stefan is here!" I gulped and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I've always hated first dates. Then again, I've only ever been on one first date before and that was with Matt. I took one last look in the mirror. I was wearing skinny jeans, leather boots that came up to just below my knee, a dark green tank top, a long necklace that ended just around my mid-stomach, and a black leather jacket. My hair was straight and parted in the middle, like usual._

_"Coming!" I called and left my room, and walking down the stairs. Stefan and I have known each other since we were freshmen and I had to do that stupid project with Damon. We talked and texted for two years, then he finally had the courage to ask me out on a date. Stefan was standing in the foyer and him and Jenna were talking. He saw me come down the stairs and smiled. "Hey," I said_

_"Hi," He responded. I smiled at him. He was wearing jeans, black boots, a white v-neck shirt and a brown leather jacket. He was handsome, as always. Caroline and Bonnie nearly fainted when I told them that I was going on a date with Stefan._

_"Have fun, kids. And remember, don't stay out too late." Jenna grinned at us then left the foyer and walked towards the kitchen._

_We left the house and got into his car, which was a red and from the looks at it, very old. But it ran very well and wasn't dirty or messy or anything. My Dad would've freaked if he saw a car like this. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Mystic Grill. Stefan opened the door for me and helped me out of the car. My Mom would've freaked if she saw how much of a gentleman Stefan was._

_"What are you going to get?" Stefan asked, looking at the menu. The Grill was pretty packed considering it was a Friday night. I saw a few people there I knew. Most of them were people my parents knew and a few were kids from school._

_"Chicken fingers," I laughed. I've been to the Grill a million times in my life and every single time I'm here, I order chicken fingers and french fries. Stefan laughed too and shook his head._

_"Chicken fingers? Do they give you smiley fries with that?" He said. I was laughing too. Being with Stefan felt so comfortable, like we've known each other all our lives. I think I'm even more comfortable with Stefan than I ever was with Matt. _

_"Shut up!" I said, still laughing. _

_Stefan ended up ordering some fancy Italian dish, but then complained when it arrived, saying that it wasn't as good as the one his grandma made. I joked with him and told him that he should've ordered the chicken fingers instead. Other than talking about chicken fingers and grandma's recipes, we talked about other things. School, Caroline and Bonnie, Damon, family situations, we even talked a little bit about Matt._

_After dinner, Stefan took me back to my house. He parked in front of my house then got out to walk me up to my house. Once we were on his porch. "I had fun tonight. Thank you."_

_"I did too." He smiled at me. Then he leaned in and I did too. My heart was racing. Suddenly, our lips were together and we were kissing. I've kissed before. I kissed Matt plenty of times and I even kissed Tyler once when we were 8. But none of those kisses were as good as this one. This kiss made me crave more. "Goodnight, Elena." Stefan smiled at me then turned around and got back in his car._

_"Goodnight," I whispered, even though he was long gone. I touched my lips with my fingers and smiled, closing my eyes and reliving the kiss. I went inside the house and ran upstairs to my bedroom. It was 10 o'clock. Jenna was probably asleep and Jeremy was staying at a friends house. _

_I changed into my pajamas then pulled out my cellphone and called Bonnie. "Hello?" Bonnie answered. _

_"I'm back from the date." I smiled, sitting down on my window seat and looking out the window at the street below it._

_"Ooh! How was it? Give me all the details!" She squealed into the phone. I told her every thing, right down to the chicken fingers and smiley fries. Somewhere during the middle of it, I saw a car park in front of our house._

_"Um..Bon, I'm tired, I'm going to bed. I'll text you in the morning. Bye." I hung up and threw my phone down on the bed. I pulled on a sweater since it was cold and quietly went downstairs, careful not to wake up Jenna. I opened the front door and Stefan was standing there, still dressed in the outfit from our date. "What are you doing here?" I asked, confused._

_"I hope I didn't wake you up..." He started and I shook my head. _

_"No, I was up." I looked up at him._

_"I just needed more of you, Elena." He admitted and kissed me again. He wrapped his hands around my waist and I wrapped my hands around his neck. We stayed like that for a while, when he finally pulled away. "Elena Gilbert, I know that we've only been on one date but we'e been talking for two years. Would you like to be my girlfriend?"_

_I answered his question with another kiss._

* * *

I held tightly onto Sophia's hand as the three of us walked into Mystic Falls General Hospital. Stefan didn't say a word to me all morning, but both of us faked smiles and laughter for the sake of Sophia. Stefan signed us in at the front desk and Sophia and I went into the waiting room. A few minutes later, Stefan joined us in the waiting room. Sophia sat in the middle of us.

A couple of minutes later, the nurse opened the door and announced, "Stefan Salvatore and Sophia Salvatore!" Stefan stood up and I picked up Sophia, even though she could walk. I just wanted to carry my little girl. We followed the nurse into the small room, which looked a lot like the room at Grove Hill Hospital.

"Daddy, why are we here?" Sophia asked, scared. She has never been in a hospital before, except when she was born, of course, and the checkups that followed. But she doesn't remember any of those.

"We just have to get a little test done, Princess. I'm getting the same test done. After this, I promise I'll take you out for a toy." Stefan faked a smile for her. I smiled too, watching my husband. I'll have to decide soon which Salvatore I really love. But even if I chose Stefan, once I tell him that I'm pregnant with Damon's baby, he'll probably leave me. Even if I choose Stefan and he leaves me, I won't go running off to Damon. I'll only go to Damon if I love him. And as of now, I'm not sure who I love.

Stefan sat down on the patient chair and I set Sophia down on his lap. Stefan opened his mouth and put a cotton swab in his mouth, gently wiping the sides of his cheek. She took another cotton swab and did the same with Sophia. "That tickles!" Sophia laughed one it was over.

Stefan smiled. "It's all over, sweetie. Now we can go get your toy." He kissed the top of Sophia's head.

The nurse looked at the both of us and said, "The results should come back in a week. Once the results come in, we'll give you a call, okay?" She smiled. She's probably curious why this 'happy' family is coming in for a paternity test. Even she probably thinks I'm a slut.

"Thank you," I said, standing up.

Exactly one week later, we found ourselves back in the same room in the hospital. The nurse walked in with a clipboard. On that clipboard was the paper that held our answer.

**Author's Note: I think that a lot of people expected Stefan to go crazy and scream and flip out at Elena once he found out that Sophia might not be his. So, you might be disappointed with his reaction. But remember that there's a very recent event that Elena did that will get him even more mad! **

**You guys, your reviews have been amazing. Thanks to everyone who read this, reviewed this, followed this, or favorited this! It seriously means a lot! **


	10. Chapter 10

The nurse sat down on a chair, holding the file that determined our fate. Sophia, oblivious to the news we were about to hear, was playing with a doll that I allowed her to bring along. Stefan was sitting in the chair next to me, tapping his foot nervously. It felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest. I'm sure Stefan felt the same way.

"The results came back and Stefan Salvatore is Sophia's father." The nurse announced. Stefan and I both sighed with relief. Stefan took Sophia in his lap and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek repeatedly.

Sophia eventually pulled away from him, smiling. "Stop it, Daddy! Your kisses tickle!" She giggled. The nurse left the room, most likely to give us some privacy. I watched the father/daughter moment. I couldn't help but wonder that, if this baby in my stomach is a girl, if Damon and her will have these moments with her. The thought brought a smile to my face.

Stefan laughed. "I'm sorry, Princess. I just love you so much." He hugged her tightly and my smile turned into a sad one. He thinks that everything is going to be okay. He thinks that sleeping with Damon was a mistake with consequences that don't matter anymore. Sophia is his and that's all that he was worried about. I'll have to tell him about the pregnancy. I'll have to tell him that we won't be able to make it.

"I love you too, Daddy." Sophia replied. She then turned to me and said, "Mommy, can we go home now? I hate this place! It smells gross." Stefan laughed at her. She was funny for her age. She says exactly what's on her mind. Maybe I could learn a lesson from her. If I said what was on my mind, I wouldn't be in the mess in the first place. I would probably be with Damon right now.

"Sure, Soph." I stood up and swung my dark brown leather bag over my shoulder. Stefan stood up next to me and we left the room together. Sophia walked ahead of us, singing some song she learned from some TV show she watches. Stefan reached out for my hand, but I pulled away. I just couldn't. Not with the whole pregnant-with-your-brother's-baby thing and the whole I-cheated-on-you-twice-with-your-brother thing. "Stefan..." I started.

He shook his head. "It's okay, Elena. That whole thing with you and Damon was three years ago, right?" He raised an eyebrow and I nodded. I wasn't exactly lying. "I'm not happy about it, by any means. But we all make mistakes, yours just happens to be a big mistake. Sophia is mine- ours. That's all that matters. As long as there is nothing between you and Damon..." His voice trailed off.

I opened my mouth to speak. But what was I going to say? I wasn't going to tell him about it in a public hospital with our daughter trailing a few feet ahead of us. Luckily, Sophia turned around and said, "Can we get some ice cream?" She rubbed her chubby stomach. "I hungry!"

Stefan laughed. "Of course, Soph." Then he ran to her, scooped her up and twirled her. Sophia erupted in giggles.

* * *

After a quick stop at the ice cream parlor, we arrived back at our house. Sophia's face was covered in chocolate and so was her purple shirt. I took her upstairs, gave her a bath, then tucked her in for a nap. I went to go down the stairs, but stopped at the top and took a deep breath. Stefan was downstairs in the living room, catching up on his reading. I swallowed hard, preparing myself. I couldn't let this secret be a secret for one more minute. I had to tell him. _Now._

I walked down the stairs and Stefan was sitting on the couch. He turned his head and saw me, smiling a little. "You know how years ago you told me to read _Anthem_ and I told you it would be stupid because it was a dystopian novella? Well, I started reading it and I can't put it down. I'm betting that Equality and the Golden One escape and-" He was ranting on, but I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm pregnant." I announced, cutting him off. He stopped ranting and stared at me in utter shock. It took a few moments to process everything when a big smile spread across his face, only making me feel more guilty.

"What? Elena...th-that's incredible!" He put the book down on the coffee table and came over to me. "When did you find out? Did you see a doctor? How far along are you?" He questioned me. I felt like the lump in my throat was going to dissolve into tears any second now. He realized the look on his face and pulled his eyebrows together. "Elena, what's wrong? Don't you want another baby?" I let him stroke my cheek. It might be the last time he shows me any type of affection.

"No, it's not that.." My voice croaked and my lower lip quivered. How was I going to tell him this? How would I want this news delivered to me? Nice and gentle, that's for sure. I stumbled on my words, not knowing exactly what to say. "I-I...I didn't...it just..."

"Elena," Stefan reached down and grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. "you can tell me anything." He kissed my forehead. "Look at Sophia, we raised her and look how great she turned out. She loves you. You're an amazing mother. I don't see why you're so upset. This is great news, amazing news actually."

"Because the baby isn't your's, Stefan!" I blurted out, too rough. I should've been more sincere. But how could you be sincere when you're telling your husband, whom you already cheated on, that you're pregnant with another man's baby, who just so happens to be his brother. Stefan's eyes widened. Maybe I expected him to be upset and in shock like he was when he found out I slept with Damon the first time. But I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was no where close to being upset. The emotion that shown in his eyes was easy to decipher.

Rage.

"Then who-" He stopped, realizing the answer for himself. "It's Damon's, isn't it?" He gritted his teeth together. I swallowed hard and nodded. Stefan was never really mad at me before. The only time he was so mad that he started screaming at me was when I spilled coffee over some important papers of his. He forgave me by that night. But I don't think he'll ever forgive me for this one. I nodded slowly. "Elena _Gilbert_, when in hell did you sleep with Damon again? Surely his sperm didn't survive inside of you for 3 damn years."

I swallowed hard, painfully noting how he used my maiden name. "I-I'm so sorry, Stefan. I slept with him the night we got into that fight. I don't know why, okay?! I really don't. I was just mad and I..." I didn't know to finish off that sentence. Stefan began pacing back and forth in the room.

Stefan scoffed. "You absouletly know why you slept with my brother, you whore." He said, right in my face. His voice was loud and I was scared that he would wake up Sophia. "Stop with the excuses. What you did is displicable. You're disgusting, Elena." Then he walked over to one of the bookshelves next to the fire place and picked up a picture - Stefan and I on our wedding day. He threw the picture down on the floor, causing the glass to shatter.

"Stop it, Stefan!" I cried and went over to he was standing. I kneeled down by the picture. To be exact, the picture was of Stefan's and mine first dance. Jeremy took it. I looked back up at him. "Does this mean...?" I couldn't dare say the word.

"Damn it, Elena! You slept with my brother three years ago, and he almost got you pregnant from that. You said that there was a chance that my daughter might not even be mine! Then, in the middle of all that, you go off and have sex with my brother again and he finally gets you pregnant!" He started pacing around again, throwing everything on the coffee table on the floor. More glass shattered. "Is that want you want?! My player of a brother who never gave a damn for anyone but himself?! Then go! Go!" He shouted.

"Stefan, I-" I started speaking but Stefan had enough of me. He grabbed me, pushing me against the wall and angrily started pounding his fists in the wall next to me head. I was terrified of him, of what he might do. "Stefan, stop! Please!"

He finally stopped after a few moments. "I can't even look at you right now! You're a slut, Elena. Does that ring mean anything to you?!" He looked down at the wedding ring on my finger. "Did you have that ring on while you slept with Damon _twice_?" Then he finally pulled his arms down from the wall. "Have a nice life with Damon and your kid." And with that, he left.

The next morning, I came downstairs into the kitchen. Obviously, I didn't sleep too good last night. Stefan didn't come back yet and Sophia was asking me questions all night about where he was. I was still shaken up about how mad he was yesterday. I'm surprised he didn't start throwing punches. His words really did hurt me. Like tiny daggers.

Suddenly, I heard the front door open. I held my breath. Stefan then walked into the kitchen, wearing the same clothes from yesterday. He looked a lot calmer. He moved onto the upset and hurt part, at least we're passed the mad part. "Stefan.." I started, not know what I was going to say.

"Remember when Damon was a Senior and we were Freshmen and you two had to do that stupid project together?" I nodded, unsure of where he was heading with this. But I stayed silent, letting him talk. "Then Damon left, which I guess was a good thing because that's how you and I met officially. Anyway, he left to go to his girlfriend's house. They didn't have any condoms and I guess she forgot to take her birth control, but she didn't tell Damon that. They had sex and she ended up pregnant. My father was furious with Damon. He told Damon that he would have to make his own choice whether to raise the baby or not. Damon paid for the abortion that evening." Stefan stepped closer to me. "Elena, I'm warning you now, Damon isn't going to want that child. Nothing about him has changed since he got Charlotte pregnant except his age." And there's the Stefan that I married. The one who gave me advice. The one who loves me.

I nodded slowly. "I sort of figured that I wasn't the only girl he ever got pregnant." I sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing my temples. Stefan slowly sat down next to me. I looked up at him, his eyes were watery.

"Let's face it, Elena. If we were really met for each other, you wouldn't be having second thoughts." He said quietly. "I was up all of last night, thinking about what would be best for us. And I can't raise that baby with you. I don't think I would even be able to stand the sight of it. So, I think we should get a divorce."

I nodded, agreeing with him. My own eyes filled up with tears quickly and now, the salty water was streaming down my face. "I understand. Just know that I'm sorry. Because I really am, Stefan." He nodded. I stayed silent for a few moments, steadying myself. "What about Sophia?" I finally asked.

"I don't plan on leave Mystic Falls. I'll find a house, not more than a few minutes away from me. We'll do what other divorced parents do; make a schedule of who gets her on what days. It'll just be hard to explain to her why I'm not longer living with you."

Once again, I nodded. I didn't want to speak because I was afraid my voice would crack. I looked down at my left hand and slowly slipped off my ring. I set it down on the table between Stefan and I. Stefan did the same thing with his ring, with a tear rolling down his face.

* * *

"What do you mean with slept with Damon?!" Jenna said, her eyebrows raised. It was later in the day after Stefan and I decided on a divorce. Both of us were trying to do our own thing to cope. Sophia and I went to Jenna and Alaric's apartment to deliver them the news.

I sighed. "Look, Jenna, if you're going to scold me for sleeping with Damon and getting pregnant by him, I don't want to hear it. I already yelled at myself. I know what I did was wrong, but I just couldn't help myself." Sophia and Alaric went for a walk together. I wondered if Jenna and Alaric ever planned on having kids. Alaric would make a great father.

She frowned, shaking her head. She was the closet thing I had to a Mom in this world, so I expected her to be disappointed with me. "Does Damon know?"

I shook my head. "No, but I'll have to tell him soon." I sat down on the couch and rubbed my temples. I just wanted some sleep. Or a massage. The past few weeks of my life have been beyond stressful. I just wanted everything to be okay again.

"I just..." She shook her head, biting her lip. "I can't believe you would do something. And I'm sure Stefan can't either. None of us ever had a good relationship with Damon. We all hate him, Elena. But you still go off and sleep with him. Did he threaten you or something?"

"No!" I quickly defended Damon. "I slept with Damon because I wanted to sleep with Damon. Maybe I even have feelings for him. Obviously, I didn't plan on getting pregnant but I did. And I have to deal with the consequences."

"And is Damon going to deal with the consequences with you?" She crossed her arms against her chest. I remembered what Stefan told me earlier about Damon, how he paid for the abortion. He probably forced that girl into the clinic for the abortion.

"I don't know..." I said quietly.

**Author's Note: First off, I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you liked how Stefan reacted, I tried to make him as angry as possible without him physically hurting Elena. And DAMON WILL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**What do you think about Sophia being Stefan's? Even though Stefan and Elena aren't together anymore, he's still a big part of the story and will be throughout the rest of the story. I didn't want Stefan to just drop off the face of the earth, so that's why I made Sophia his. But there will be a lot more Damon, I promise you!**


	11. Chapter 11

Room 357 at Gully's Hotel was now a room to another guest. I learned that after I knocked at the door, expecting to see Damon. Instead, I saw a girl, probably in her 20s, wondering why on earth I would show up at her hotel room.

I knew that Damon wouldn't leave Mystic Falls. Not without at least saying goodbye to me and finding out if he's Sophia's father. Which means he could only be at one other place - the Salvatore Boarding House. I got into my car and quickly drove there, easily finding my way through the confusing roads in the woods.

Sophia was at home with Stefan. Stefan says he plans on moving out soon. Of course the house is mine, it was my family's. That meant a whole lot less things to worry about that I get to keep the house. And since most of the furniture in the house belonged to my parents, I get to keep that too. Ever since yesterday when Stefan and I decided on divorce, we haven't spoken to each other. He slept on the couch last night. It's like two strangers living together. Two strangers that have a child.

Once I arrived at the Boarding House, I got out of my car. I haven't been here in ages. Stefan and Damon's father moved to Italy after Stefan and I married. Neither of the brothers were upset about their father moving since they weren't close to him. Mr. Salvatore was never too fond of me either. We barely talked. From what others told me, though, I was lucky that he never talked to me.

I knocked on the door, praying that Damon would be here. If he wasn't, I don't know where to look next. Maybe he was at the Grill for a drink. Or up by the falls, which was apparently his favorite spot to hike. After a few moments of nothing, I went to turn away but suddenly the door opened. Damon was standing there, obviously surprised to see me.

"Can I come in?" I asked quietly, looking at him. I have so much news to tell him. I wonder how he'll handle it all. I wonder if he'll try talking me into an abortion like he did with that other girl. He didn't really like the fact that he might be Sophia's father.

"Of course," He said, stepping aside to let me in. I walked in the Boarding House. The air was stale and every piece of furniture had a thick layer of dust over it. I looked around, remembering the memories that this house held. Then I realized the memories that I was thinking about. That couch is where Stefan and I slept together for the first time in our Senior year. "Did you get a paternity test?" Damon broke my train of thought.

"Yeah," I said, turning around and looked at him. I pushed back my hair and gulped. "Stefan and I took Sophia to the hospital a few days ago-"

"So Stefan knows?" Damon raised his eyebrows and stepped closer to me. He was wearing a dark red shirt, it was tight around his chest. He looked handsome, as always.

I nodded slowly. "Um, yeah. I mean...I wasn't planning on telling him. I mean...I was planning on telling him, but only if Sophia was yours." I was rambling.

"Is she mine?" Damon asked. I shook my head. And Damon sighed with relief. He doesn't want to be a father. How am I going to tell him I'm pregnant? "Guess Stefan must be happy about that. How did you two celebrate? Chocolate cake? Or did you plan a trip to Disney World?" Damon said bitterly.

"Just because Sophia is Stefan's, doesn't mean I'm staying with Stefan." I looked up at him. The bitterness in his eyes went away. "Besides...he knows about what we did a few weeks ago.."

Damon frowned. "Elena, why the hell would you tell Stefan that? Even if you didn't want to be with him, the smart thing to do would be to not tell him. Do you want to start another war between us?"

I sighed and swallowed. It was now or never. "I'm pregnant, Damon. And it has to be yours. Stefan and I...we didn't sleep together in a while..."

* * *

_"Surprise!" People shouted as soon as I entered the Lockwood Mansion. Everyone of my friends from Mystic Falls was standing here, grinning wide. They surprised me well. So well that I almost peed my pants. I laughed, knowing exactly what this was. A baby shower. I looked over at Stefan, who was smiling at me. He knew all along that Caroline didn't really have emergency and that we had to rush over to the Mansion. He probably helped Caroline plan this shower._

_"You knew!" I laughed, hitting his arm playfully. I distinctly remembered sternly telling Stefan and Caroline that I didn't want a baby shower. But of course they didn't listen to me. Caroline has an obsession with parties of any kind. In 7th grade, she threw herself a party because she finally got her period. Crazy, huh? And Stefan always talked about how he wanted to throw his wife a baby shower when the time came._

_"Of course I did." Stefan kissed me gently. And I kissed him back, enjoying the amazing feeling of his lips being pressed against mine. "And I made sure there were wings." I've been craving wings all through out this pregnancy. The doctor said it was normal. But I could tell Stefan was getting slightly annoyed of having to go pick up wings at 11 PM for me._

_Caroline rushed over to me, nearly shoving Stefan away from me. Stefan rolled his eyes, laughing a little and went off, probably to go talk to Tyler or someone. "So..what'da think?" She asked eagerly. The house was covered in pink. Pink balloons, pink banners, pink plates, pink foods. Pink. I don't think I ever saw so much pink in my life. _

_"It's, um..." I looked around the house."It's a lot of pink." I shrugged. Even most of the guests were wearing pink. Caroline definitely ordered them to wear pink. I felt like a sore thumb wearing the dark purple shirt. At least I wasn't wearing blue. But purple is a mutual color. _

_"Duh! You're having a girl, it has to be pink!" Caroline giggled. "And yes, there are wings. I told Stefan that wings were really baby shower food, but he said you were, like, obsessed with them or whatever." _

_The baby shower wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. A lot of people rubbed my stomach, which was rather awkward. But it was worth it whenever someone would rub it, because Stefan would be watching. His smile would get bigger and bigger every time someone said "Congratulations" to him. He was excited to be a father. And I was excited to give him the baby._

_People went a little crazy with the gifts, though. Especially Caroline. I have no clue how Stefan is going to fit all those baby clothes into our car. People also gave us a lot of diapers, which they say that we're never going to have enough diapers. We also got things like books and toys and all those other things that are given as gifts for baby showers. _

_At the end of the night, Caroline and Tyler were in the kitchen, probably cleaning up. All of the guests left and Stefan and I were standing in the living room. "Thank you for tonight." I told him. "It was fun. And it's making me even more excited for her arrival."_

_"Anything for my girls." He kissed my forehead. Then he put a hand on my stomach, admiring it. He's always been touching my stomach or talking to her. He says that he wants her to recognize his voice as soon as she's born. He's going to be the best father in the world. That, I have no doubts about that._

_"She still needs a name." I whispered, placing my hands over his on my stomach. _

_Stefan looked up at me. "Sophia Miranda Salvatore." He answered immediently. "Sophia, after my mother. Miranda, after your's." He smiled. I nodded quickly in agreement. It sounded perfect with so much family history in it. I could tell Stefan spent a lot of time thinking about the name. _

_"I can't wait for Sophia." I smiled and he pulled me in for a long, passionate kiss._

* * *

Damon's eyes widened. With what? Horror? Shock? Happiness? I don't know. He didn't say anything for a few moments, which made me nervous. How was he going to react? Was he going to drag me to the clinic for the abortion against my will? No, I wouldn't let him. What if he leaves me alone? Would we actually do that?

"Y-You're...m-my kid is your stomach right now?" He asked, his eyes still wide. I nodded slowly. Stupidly, I reached out and grabbed his hand, placing it on my stomach. He kept it there for a little, then slowly pulled it away. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Caroline took me to the hospital the other day. I'm 100% pregnant, Damon. And I'm 100% sure it's your baby." My heart was beating fast. I want Damon to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be okay. That's what I need.

"Elena...I..." He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. I had the urge to fix it. "What did Stefan have to say about it?" I frowned slightly. I was hoping that he would pick me up and twirl me like Stefan did when I found out I was pregnant with Sophia. But Damon isn't Stefan. And I'm not that Elena anymore.

I held up my ringless finger.

"Oh." Damon paused. "I'm sorry, Elena." He said quietly. I just simply nodded, not really wanting to talk about it anymore. "But...Elena...when I thought about the possibility that I might be Sophia's father, I was terrified. I really don't know if I'm ready to be a father."

"Stefan told me about Charlotte. That was her name, right? The girl you got pregnant when you were a Senior and that you made get an abortion." Damon nodded once, like he was ashamed of it.

I wanted to tell him not to be ashamed of it. There's always something in our past that we're going to be ashamed about. But it's called learning. We make mistakes and we learn from them. Some mistakes change us.

"Hey. Look at me," I said to him, taking his face in my hands. "I need you to be here for me, Damon. Through all of this. I'm just as scared as you are. Just please promise that you won't leave me." I looked at him, his blue eyes on me. "There's one more thing I have to tell you. I think I might be in love with you."

"I know I'm in love with you." He responded instantly.

I wonder if our love will hold us together. If it will hold us together through my divorce and this new baby that we're having.

**Lots of drama coming up! Remember, NO ONE in Elena's life likes Damon in the slightest. And how could a relationship work if your best friends and family hate that person? Will Elena and Damon work through it with a baby on the way?**

**What about Jeremy and Anna? Stuff with them will be coming up.**

**Lots and lots of drama. Including Sophia.**

**Thank you so much everyone for reading and reviewing! I love you all!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure you have everything?" I asked quietly. Stefan and I were standing the doorway of our house. No, my house. Mine and Sophia's house. Since Stefan is a lawyer, our divorce became finalized quickly.

Stefan sighed heavily and nodded. All of his bags with his clothes and a few pictures of him and Sophia and a couple of books were all in his car. All ready to go. "Yeah, I'm sure." Then he paused. "We still have to discuss a schedule on who gets Sophia and when."

"I was thinking that you get her one day, I get her the next, then you get her. On and off everyday. I mean...because you only live five minutes away..." I suggested. Stefan nodded. Talking with him felt like talking to a stranger. It felt like the love we shared in the past was just a dream and this is reality. In reality, we don't love each other anymore. If we ever even did love each other. Nothing can break true love. If we really loved each other, we wouldn't be saying our goodbyes.

"Sounds good." He mumbled. Sophia was with Caroline and Bonnie at Bonnie's house. I'll have to go pick her up as soon as Stefan leaves. We didn't want Sophia here as Stefan packed up his stuff. I looked up at Stefan, there was still anger in his eyes. But there was also sadness. I don't think he'll ever forgive me for what I did. I don't think anyone would ever forgive me for I did. "I, uh, I better good. Goodbye, Elena." He turned to leave when he added, "Have fun with Damon."

I sighed. There was no point in fighting with him. So I just let him go. He walked, got into his car that was parked on the street, slammed the door, and left without looking back. So that's it. It's over. Our marriage is over. I expected to feel lonely, to have some sort of emptiness in my heart. For my chest to ache. But instead, I didn't feel anything. I felt a little sad, of course. But it was no where near the sadness I expected to feel.

It's a strange sight to see only my clothes in the closet. I was sitting on our bed, staring at the closet. The left side was filled with all my clothes. The right side was completely empty. I tried crying. Jenna said I would be crying a lot. But the tears wouldn't come. So I just sat there on my bed, staring on the closet. And I thought of Damon.

He loves me. I love him. He's in love with me. I think I'm in love with him.

He's scared, terrified, about this baby. I can't blame him, either. He's being forced into a life that he never really wanted. But he has to take reasonability for what we did. I did. I looked down at my stomach, which was still pretty flat. But there was a slight bump there. I placed my hand on it, rubbing it gently. No matter what, though, this baby isn't a mistake. It's a blessing. Just like Sophia is.

Finally, I gathered up the courage to get up and go to Bonnie's house. Plus, I really needed to get out of this house. It's too quiet here. I stopped myself from wondering what Stefan was up to. If he was having trouble moving in. If he was crying like he did last night. Instead, I made myself think about what Damon was doing right now. Probably drowning his fears with bourbon. I wish I could do that.

Once I arrived at Bonnie's, I got out of the car and knocked on the door. I heard Sophia giggling. I wondered what Caroline and Bonnie were doing to her. God only knows. Bonnie opened the door, she was smiling. I forced a smile too. Just because I didn't feel like crying doesn't mean I feel like smiling. Bonnie opened her mouth to speak when Sophia came running towards me. "Mommy!" She squealed.

"Oh, my God." I said as Sophia swung her arms around me. Her face was covered with makeup. She was wearing bright pink eyeshadow, pink blush, pink lipstick,and even mascara. Caroline must've brought her makeup.

"Don't I look pretty?" She smiled. I laughed a real laugh. Only Sophia could make me smile in a time like this. I nodded and hugged her tighter. How am I going to tell her that she's having a brother or sister with a different father? She won't even understand, she's too little. When she's older, even she will think I'm a slut. "Aunty Caroline and Aunty Bonnie did my makeup." Then she ran over to a long mirror and admired herself.

I stepped inside the house. Caroline came into the foyer, her arms crossed. I know that she told Bonnie everything. It feels like everyone in Mystic Falls know I cheated on Stefan with Damon twice and now I'm pregnant with Damon's kid and Stefan and I got a divorce. "Good afternoon, Miss Gilbert." Caroline said harshly.

"Caroline!" Bonnie scolded her. At least Bonnie was on my side. I really didn't need this from Caroline. I was already too upset with myself. Did I really have to suffer just because Caroline hates Damon? If I cheated on Stefan with Ryan Gosling and was pregnant with his baby then Caroline wouldn't be mad at me. She'd be jealous of me, but she wouldn't be mad at me.

"Look, all I'm saying is it was stupid of you to sleep with Damon in the first place! We all hate him, Elena! I'm saying this as a friend and I-" Caroline said, but I cut her off.

"Soph, can you go upstairs for a second? Go get your toys you brought with you." I said softly. Sophia nodded, probably curious to why Caroline, Bonnie, and I were arguing. But she upstairs anyway. Then I turned to Caroline. "I don't have to explain myself. I slept with Damon because I love him. Just like why you sleep with Tyler."

"Did you talk to Damon about it?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah.." I bit my lip.

"And?" Caroline said, still angry.

"And he's scared. So am I. So, can you please give both of us a break." I paused. Now I was mad too. "You two are my best friends, shouldn't you be supporting me throughout this? Stefan is mad at me, Jenna and Alaric are upset with me, Damon is terrified of everything, Jeremy and Anna are mad, and so are you two. I get it, no one likes Damon. But I do. So, can you please show a little support even if you hate Damon's guts?"

Caroline sighed, thinking. "Elena, you know I love you. And it's because I love you that I'm mad at you. Damon is like a Hitler. Would you be mad if I slept with Hitler?"

"No, I would be a little creeped out because Hitler is dead." I crossed my arms now too.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. If I, your best friend, had sex and got pregnant from someone you absolutely hate, you would be mad at me. I'm just trying to be a good friend-"

"A good friend would be there for me and not judge me." I snapped at her. Sophia came down the stairs, holding a little pink bag of hers which was stuffed with all of her toys. I faked another smile for her. "Tell Aunty Caroline and Aunty Bonnie bye."

Sophia handed her bag to me and ran over to Caroline and Bonnie, hugging them tightly. I watched them. Caroline and Bonnie might be very mad at me, but no matter what they can never stop loving Sophia. They'll come around eventually, right? They'll shower the baby with gifts and toys and clothes just like they did with Sophia.

A couple of minutes later, Sophia and I arrived back at our house. I sighed as I hung up her pink jacket. Sophia stepped inside the house, looking around. "Daddy!" She called out. "Daddy!" She repeated. When no one answered, she turned around and looked at me, confused. "Where's Daddy?"

I swallowed hard. How was I going to explain this one to her? I kneeled down next to her so I was at her height. "Daddy isn't going to be staying here with us anymore. He's fine, princess. But Daddy needs some time to think so he's going to be living in a different house for a little." I couldn't tell her about Damon. Not yet. Imagine how confuse she'll be once I finally introduce Damon to her. Well, she knows him as the uncle she met once. But she didn't talk about him since her party, like he never even existed to her.

Sophia's eyes widened with panic. "But..but...will I ever see Daddy again?" Her dark brown eyes started filling up his tears. I nodded my head quickly.

"Of course you will, Soph. You'll get to see Daddy's new house and you'll get a new bedroom and new toys." I forced a big smile to her. "We'll get to drop you off at his house tomorrow."

* * *

_"Stefan! Stefan, stop!" I laughed loudly as I ducked behind the counter. "Stefan Salvatore! Stop!" I couldn't stop laughing. My hair, face, clothes, everywhere was covered in flour. I didn't think it would turn into flour fight when he suggested that we made a cake together._

_He was silent. I had a handful of flour. Slowly, I stood up from behind the counter, prepared to throw the flour at him. But he was quicker than me and threw a pile of flour, aiming right for my face. He laughed like crazy at me. "I got you!"_

_I shook my head and stood up, coming over to him. I kissed him, causing all the flour from my face to smear onto his. He pulled away quickly, spitting out flour. "Ugh." He groaned and I giggled._

_"That's what you get." I kissed him again, running my flour covered finger through his hair. I felt him smile in the kiss. We've been married a few years now and he's absolutely amazing. An amazing person, an amazing husband, and he wants to be an amazing father. I keep telling him maybe someday. But I didn't think I was ready to be a mother. I was terrified, in fact, to have a child. There was just something so scary about it. Something that I just couldn't explain._

_Suddenly, the phone rang and I answered it right away, getting flour all over the phone. Oh, well. I'll clean that later. "Hello?" I said into the phone. _

_"Elena! You'll never believe what just happened!" Caroline chirped happily into the phone. I mouthed her name to Stefan and he rolled his eyes. Caroline could talk on the phone for hours. So, he went off and started cleaning the flour covered kitchen._

_"What?" I asked curiously. Caroline and Tyler went on a vacation to the Bahamas for a week. Lucky them. They just got back from Los Angeles a month ago. God, I wish Stefan and I could do that._

_"Tyler proposed!" She squealed loudly. My jaw dropped. I guess I should've expected it, they've been dating for years now. Don't get me wrong, I love Caroline and she's my best friend, but who would actually want to be married to her for the rest of their lives? God bless Tyler. That's all I could say._

_Caroline and I talked for a while on the phone. She was bragged about their vacation, their proposal, the ring, everything. I could tell Stefan was getting annoyed that I was talking to Caroline for so long, so I said that I'll call her later and hung up. Then I looked at Stefan. "Tyler proposed."_

_"I heard." He grinned and came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Well, Mrs. Salvatore, you're dirty. You'll all covered in flour. Maybe a shower would be helpful." He played with a piece of my flour covered hair._

_"Are you suggesting that we get a shower together?" I smirked, looking up at him._

_"Of course I am." He picked me up bridal style and carried me upstairs to the bathroom._

* * *

Sophia nodded, but she still looked confused. "So, I'll get to see Daddy tomorrow?" I nodded. She seemed okay then, after she realized that she will see Stefan and me a lot. Then she whirled around and walked into the kitchen, probably to see what sweets she could find.

I watched her go.

And I felt completely alone.

Everyone hates me for sleeping with Damon. And Damon is terrified. I have no one to help me or to support me. I gulped and forced a smile and followed Sophia into the kitchen. At least I have her and this baby.

**Aw! I didn't get much reviews last chapter. How about this chapter? Please review!**

**Next chapter, there will be Elena and Damon moments! Even a surprise in the next chapter! Hehe. Keep reading to find out what it is!**


	13. Chapter 13

Pacing is a nervous habit of mine. I shouldn't be so worried, I told myself. It was only Damon and worst think he'll say is no. God, now I sound like some silly teenage boy, eager to ask out a girl on a date for the first time. Finally, annoyed with myself for being such a chicken, I pulled out my cell phone. With shaky fingers, I dialed Damon's number and I didn't even hesitate on the call button. I held the phone up to my ears.

"Hello?" Damon said into the phone. His voice sounded slightly perky, maybe because it knew it was me calling. Or maybe he was just simply in a good mood. Whichever was true, it was good for me.

"Hey, Damon. I-It's me, Elena." I stumbled with my words. I silently cursed at myself for being so stupid.

"I know who it is." Damon said, as if it was obvious. "Is everything alright? You sound worried. If it's about the baby...I've been thinking..." His voice trailed off.

"You have?" I started to get calmer now. Calm enough for me to stop pacing around the room and sat down on the dark brown leather couch. "Please don't tell me you're backing out.." My voice sounded weak. The thought of not even having Damon with me is terrifying. Then I would truly be alone.

"Of course not, Elena. I would be backing out five years ago. But now..." He paused, creating a deadly silence. "Now, I'll be there to help you, okay? Whatever you need, you just tell me."

"I will." I nodded, even if he couldn't see me nod. "Actually, the reason I called wasn't because I wanted to see how you were doing with everything. Tomorrow, I, um, I have my first doctor's appointment. You'll get to see the baby, Damon." I cleared my throat. "That is, if you want to go."

Damon was silent for a while, but I knew that he didn't hang up because I could hear his steady breaths. Finally, he spoke, "I'll get to see my- our baby?" There was some sort of tingle in my chest when he said our.

"Yeah," I smiled a little. "You will. We won't be able to find out the sex, of course. Not for a few months. But, at least you'll get to see it and maybe seeing it will make you feel happier and get more excited about this baby and I-" I started rambling, but he cut me off.

"What time?" He asked.

"10 AM. Can you pick me up in the morning? I have to drop Sophia off at Stefan's by 8.." It was strange saying that I'll have to take Sophia to Stefan's new house. I miss our old family. But I always remind myself that I'm getting a new family, Sophia included.

"Of course. Goodbye, Elena." He paused. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. Then we hung up.

The next morning, Sophia and I got up early. I got her dressed, she was eager to get to see Stefan. I felt guilty, I'm the reason why Stefan and I got a divorce, why he had to move out, why Sophia doesn't see her father as much as she used to. Everything is my fault.

An hour later, we were out the door. I drove to the address Stefan gave me. 34 East Montgomery Street. I pulled up to a small house, nothing spectacular. It had one floor, no more than two bedrooms. I felt another pang of guilt. If it wasn't for me, Stefan would still be living in my house. Which is a mansion compared to this. I got out of the car with Sophia and knocked on the door.

Stefan smiled as he opened the door. I faked a smile too, it's better for Sophia to think that everything is fine between us. "There's my princess!" He picked Sophia up, propping her on his hip.

"Daddy!" Sophia's smile was wide. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Then Stefan's eyes darted to me and he nodded. "Elena," he said, monotone.

"Stefan," I said, using the same tone. Then I cleared my throat. "So, you'll, um, can you drop her off tomorrow morning?"

He nodded. "Sounds good."

Then I said goodbye to Sophia. Then her and Stefan went inside. Then I got in my car. And that was that.

Three words. That's all he said to me. He hates me. Then again, I hate myself too. I sighed as I started driving back to my house. What did I expect him to say? That he still loves and and to just forget eveything? No way in hell would he ever say that. Even if he did, I couldn't. I would be betraying Damon. And I'm done betraying Salvatores.

Two hours, the doorbell rang. Nervously, I put on my jacket and swung my black, leather bag around my shoulder and opened the door. Damon was standing there, looking casual, with black boots and a black leather jacket. I smiled softly at him. "Hey," I said.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded, even though I wasn't ready. I don't think I'll ever be ready. I'm nervous enough seeing my child for the first time, let alone having Damon accompany me. We walked out to his car and he helped me in the passenger seat. Then he got in the passenger seat and started driving. "How's Sophia?" He asked. I wondered if he's just asking to make conversation or because he genuinely cares. I hope the second one.

"She's good. She was excited to see Stefan," _Dammit_. Should I even bring up Stefan? No, no I shouldn't. It's too awkward to talk about it. Then again, this whole situation is awkward. Damn Damon. Damn Damon for being the incredible, sweet, handsome human being that he is. Damn Damon for letting me talk myself into sleeping with him. But it was _amazing. _I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

"That's good." He says, not really having that much emotion to his voice. _Oh, so he doesn't care._ I frown slightly, fumbling with my fingers. Damon looks over at me. "You alright? You look nervous.."

I shake my head. "I'm fine." But he doesn't shrug it off like other guys would. Instead, he grabs my hand and holds it tightly. It's just a small gesture, but it's sweet. It reminds me that it's not the cocky, arrogant Damon we all know. It reminds me of the Damon that I could possibly be in love with. So I smile.

In just a few moments, we arrive at the doctor's office. Damon helps me out of the car and holds my hand the whole way across the parking lot. This is dangerous, though, and we both know it. I'm sure that most of the town knows that Stefan and I are divorced. Some are probably even mourning about it because Mystic Falls is home to some crazy people. But what's it going to look like when people see me, walking hand and hand with Damon, into a doctor's office specifically for pregnant women. They'll have to take a double take.

Damon signs me in at the front desk then we wait together in the waiting room. There are a few other women there, some with men and some without. Some look like they're about to pop any minute and some, like me, have a little bump to their stomach. Damon stands up and goes over to look at some pamphlets on the wall. I watch him. Then, he takes a few and stuffs them into his pocket. I'm about to open my mouth and ask why, but the door opens and a nurse pops her head out. "Elena Salvatore?" I stand up and Damon and I follow her back into a room.

We go into the room and the nurse does the normal, checks my blood pressure, ask questions, the same things like when I was pregnant with Sophia. Damon stood right next to him, carefully listening to everything the woman had to say. Finally, the women left and Damon and I were alone. I looked up at him and soon, his lips were crashing against mine. I kissed him back, enjoying the sweet taste of his lips. My eyes fluttered open after a few seconds and I pulled away, looking at him. "Thank you. For coming, I mean."

He shook his head. "Don't thank me. I wanted to be here. I'm just grateful that you asked me to come," He sat down on the chair next to me and reached for my hand. I clasped my fingers tightly around his.

Suddenly, we're interrupted by the doctor walking in. He just smiled at us and sat down on the other side of me, asking me the same questions the nurse asked me earlier. Then he pulled my shirt up over my stomach and began the ultrasound. Damon and I looked at the screen and, soon, came the fuzzy picture of our child. I looked over at Damon and a smile broke out instantly on his face. He squeezed onto my hand, supporting me.

The doctor printed out pictures of our baby. He gave each of us a copy. I stared at the picture. Even though I was pregnant before, it still puts me in awe. That's in my stomach right now. A baby is in my stomach right now. Our baby is in my stomach right now. That's a crazy thought. We thank the doctor then leave the office, once again walking hand in hand. I looked at Damon, I don't think you could get the happy expression off his face even if you slapped him. We got into his car and he started driving.

"That was amazing." He grinned, keeping his eyes on the road but still holding my hand. "I didn't think I would feel that...connected to it. But I was." He paused and we stayed silent for a while. Then he blurted out, "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head.

He frowned. "Elena, I'm no doctor or anything, but I'm pretty sure pregnant women have to eat. Come on, I'll take you anywhere you want to go. My treat." He looked at me, smiling. I couldn't help but laugh. _What is wrong with him?_ He's so giddy, so happy.

"Alright, alright. Can we go to just that little diner on that outside of town? They have the best hoagies."

An hour later, Damon dropped me back off at my house. Well, he didn't really drop be off because he came inside with me. I took him upstairs and showed him the bedroom, that used to be Jeremy's room. "I was thinking this could be the nursery." I said, looking around. It would be perfect for this baby and Sophia, with a Jack and Jill styled bathroom in the middle. Just like it was for Jeremy and I.

"It looks perfect," Damon said, stepping closer to me. It struck me how natural he looked in this house. Like he belongs here. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. I stare up at his icy blue eyes and felt my heart skip a beat. What was it about him what made me get so silly around him? What was it about him that made the butterflies dance in my stomach, my palms to sweat, my heart to beat so fast that I feel like it will burst out of my chest?

"Damon, I.." I start and then his lips were on mine. We stayed like that for a while, kissing each other. And it felt perfect. I think the baby could even feel my excitement because I could feel it moving around rapidly in my stomach. Even it's crazy for it's father. Finally, after what feels like hours but in reality was only minutes, I pull away and look at him. "Damon, I'm in love with you."

He stares at me, a smile slowly creeping on his face. "Elena, I'm _in _love with you, too." Then he kisses me again. But I feel a vibration in my pocket and pull out my cellphone, it's just Jeremy calling.

"Hello? Jer?" I said, holding the phone up to my ear. That's when he starts rambling on and on. He asked Anna to marry him, and she said yes. I couldn't help but laugh at my little brother's eagerness. I still wasn't fond of Anna, there's something fishy about her. But if Jeremy's happy, I'm happy. That's all that's matters.

Sunlight streams in through the windows in my bed. I smile a little and stretch, rubbing my eyes. Then I turn onto my other side and see Damon, his blue eyes wide open and staring back at me. I almost forgot that he spent the night here last night. We didn't do anything, not like that at least. We just lounged around, made dinner, watched a few old movies and called it a night. It reminded me of when it was just Stefan and I. When we were young and in love and before Sophia came along. "Morning." He said.

"Morning." I smile back and I'm about to say something else when the doorbell rings. I glance over at the time, 8 AM on the dot. Stefan was _always _on time for everything. And sometimes that was annoying, but other times it was a good thing. I get up quickly, I already miss Sophia like crazy. I don't understand how separated parents could be without their kids for two days or more.

I race down the stairs, leaving Damon in the dust. Then I froze when I got to the second to last step. Oh God. Damon's here. I didn't plan on introducing him to Sophia as my significant other for a while now. She still doesn't even know I'm pregnant. What's Stefan going to think when he sees Damon in his old house? I swallowed hard, no turning back now. So I open the door and Sophia smiles huge. "Mommy!" She runs into my arms.

"Hey there, pumpkin!" I hug her tightly. Stefan is standing there, awkwardly. Is he going to be like that every time?

"Who's that?" Sophia asks and I turn around, seeing Damon standing there. At least he had the decently to put a shirt on, since he slept in nothing but his boxers last night. I bit my lip nervously and push pieces of hair behind my hears. Stefan frowns.

"You remember Uncle Damon, don't you? He came to your party? Well, him and me are close...friends now." I said slowly. What else was I going to say? That he is the reason me and your Daddy divorced and is the father of your future sibling, maybe he'll even be your future step-father? I shake my head. Stefan glares at me and I sigh. "Soph, how about you and Damon go into the kitchen? I bet he'll make you some breakfast." Damon and Sophia nod and Sophia runs into the kitchen, Damon follows her closely. I look over at Stefan. "It's not what you think..." I start.

"Dammit, Elena. You're already sleeping with him?! I thought you would at least feel a little remorse for everything that happened, but I guess I was wrong." Stefan said, angrily.

"We didn't sleep together!" I raise my voice too. "He went with me to my doctor's appointment yesterday then we both came back here. He spent the night, but we didn't sleep together. I'm not _that_ much of a slut."

Stefan scoffs.

"Just go, Stefan." I shake my head. "I'll drop her off tomorrow."

"Don't bring Damon," He grumbles then leaves. I'm glad he's gone.

Then I turn around and go into the kitchen, watching my _boyfriend_ and my daughter interact at the kitchen table. I lean against the doorway, my arms crossed, watching them. Damon can't see me, he has his back turned to me. "Ice cream for breakfast?" He asks Sophia, who is giggling like crazy. "Are you sure your Mommy lets you have ice cream for breakfast? I don't think she would."

Sophia nods. "Yes, she does!"

I step more steps into the kitchen, laughing. "What's this I hear about ice cream for breakfast?"

Damon looks over at me. "Your little goober daughter thinks I should get her ice cream for breakfast." He smiles.

"Ice cream for breakfast?" I raise my eyebrows.

Sophia nods. "Please, Mommy?" She gives me the puppy dog look that she knows I can't resist. So I smile and nod.

"Fine, ice cream for breakfast. But this time only." I come over to Damon and he wraps his arm around my waist. I wonder if it's too soon to show PDA in front of Sophia. But she doesn't seem to suspect anything.

She cheers and Damon pulls away. He gets her her ice cream, even adding pink sprinkles. Then I watch them sit together as Sophia eats her ice cream. Both of them seem to really like each other, so that's a good thing. No, that's a great thing. One less thing for me to worry about.

**Can you believe I finally posted this? This chapter is a bit longer than usual, my treat for not writing in such a while! Sorry about that! More drama on the way! Please keep reading and reviewing. You guys don't know how much it means to me when I see I have a new review. Thank you so, so, so much!**


	14. Chapter 14

The first two months of my pregnancy, everything was fine. I was happy to be pregnant, it was an amazing feeling. But, by the seventh month I just want the baby out of me. It's difficult for me to sit, stand, walk, and forget about running. Damon insists that I eat healthy foods, take my vitamins. And Sophia insists that I play with her, no matter how tired I feel.

I pulled up to Stefan's little house and got out of the car, holding Sophia's hand. We walk up to the front door together and knock twice. No one answers. I sigh, getting impatient. It was warm out but there was a cool breeze. And I was exhausted and hungry. _God, Stefan, hurry up and answer the damn door, _I thought. Then I hear a voice call out, "Come in!" But it wasn't Stefan's voice. It was a _female's_.

Curiously, I open the door and let myself in. I dropped off Sophia plenty of times, and since then, we changed the schedule so Stefan gets Sophia three days a week, I get her two, then the next week I get her three days in a row and he gets her two days in a row. This worked out better for both of us since Stefan is still busy with work and I'm busying writing my second novel.

Stefan's house look surprisingly clean. I never saw the insides of the house. There is a little, dark brick fireplace with two windows near it, a dark red couch and a coffee table, which is cluttered with papers. Probably from Stefan's work. Next to the door, though, there are two sets of shoes. One are Stefan's, the pair he wears to the work. And the other...heels. So, I wasn't just hearing stuff when I thought I heard a female voice.

Suddenly, Stefan comes down the stairs. "Daddy!" Sophia squeals and runs into his arms, hugging him tightly. He picks her up and hugs her tightly, kissing her head. Following Stefan is a women with a black shirt on, which showed way too much cleavage for my taste, and skinny jeans. She has long, blond hair which is curly.

"Hey there, pretty girl." Stefan smiles at Sophia then sets her down. Sophia runs upstairs with her bag. Stefan watches her and laughs. Then he turns his attention to me. "Elena, hi." His eyes gaze over my swollen stomach. We've grown to be more talkative of each other in the past five months. Once, we even went out to lunch with Sophia. But that was only because we had to discuss details about Sophia starting preschool and because Sophia was hungry.

"Hi, Stefan." I say. I still feel the woman's eyes on me. I never seen her before in my life, so she can't be a friend or family member of Stefan's or someone who works at his law office. I look at Stefan, waiting for him to explain.

"Elena, this is my..er..girlfriend, Lexi." He turns his attention to Lexi. She still watches me, with her catlike eyes that move swiftly over me, examining me.

"Ah, so this is the famous Elena that I heard oh so much about." Lexi smiles. There's just something about her, something that I don't like. Just like how I feel about Anna, Jeremy's fiancé. Lexi and I shake hands and I force a smile on face. Best keep a good relationship with my ex-husband's girlfriend. "And Sophie-"

"Sophia." I correct her. If she's going to be around Sophia, she at least has to know her own name. This makes me angry, more angry than a mistake of a single letter should. But Sophia and Sophie are completely different names. And, to me, Sophia sounds prettier, sweeter.

"Sophia," She nods. "I'm excited to get to spend the weekend with her while Stefan is away. I have tons of things planned. It'll be like a girl's night!" Lexi smiles wider.

I frown, glaring at Stefan. "You're going away?" I raise my eyebrows.

He nods. "Just for two days. I have to go to Richmond, you know, for that big murder case I was telling you about a while ago." I grit my teeth. Yeah, that stupid murder case which caused us to get into a fight about how he's never home which caused me to leave the house which caused me to go off and get pregnant by Damon. But I can't blame him or that case. I chose to sleep with Damon, Stefan didn't choose for me.

"You should've told me, Stefan. Did Lexi ever even watch Sophia?" Now I cross my arms above my bump. I have a hard enough time trusting friends and family to watch Sophia. The only person, beside me, that I fully trust to watch Sophia is Stefan. That's just my motherly instincts. And I'm sure that when this baby comes along, I'll only be able to trust Damon with it.

"Yes, I did." Lexi chirps in. I really don't like her. It's not because she's dating Stefan, it's because of the look in her eyes. Like she's proud that I'm mad about her watching Sophia. Or maybe that's just her natural look. Either way, I don't trust her.

"No, no way. I don't feel comfortable with someone I just met watching my daughter for two nights." I shake my head. Then I call up the stairs, "Sophia!"

"Come on, Elena. I've been dating Lexi for a couple of months now," Stefan says. "and I know how much Sophia likes playing with her. Give her a chance. You can't take Sophia away anyway. This is my weekend and I know that Damon watches Sophia sometimes-" I cut him off.

"For an hour when I have to go grocery shopping!" I raise my voice at him. Damn hormones. I'm angry and those hormones make me twice as angry. Stefan knows I had raging hormones when I was pregnant with Sophia. He doesn't flinch or frown or glare at me or anything. He understands. But Lexi frowns at me. I ignore her.

"That doesn't matter. Besides, you'll only be a couple of streets away. Please?" I know he's not asking me, he's telling me. He's right, though, I can't argue. When we finalized the divorce and went to the judge, we agreed with if we both let Sophia alone with our significant other that it will be fine.

"I just wish you would've introduced us first." I mumble, knowing that I have no chance of winning this one. Lexi smiles and so does Stefan. Then Sophia runs the down the stairs. I hug her and kiss her goodbye, then I look up at Lexi. "Here, I'll give you my home and my cell phone number just in case anything happens. Oh, and Stefan usually lets her call me before she goes to bed." I write down my numbers on a piece of scrap paper from my purse and give them to Lexi.

She takes it and smiles at me. "Okay, I'll have her call you. And thank you for trusting me with her, I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."

I just nod.

Stefan leaves the house with me. We stand on the front porch together, staring out at the house across the street. He's the one who breaks the silence. "How's the pregnancy going?"

"Good."

More silence.

Then he finally speaks up again. "I really like her." He looks at me and I look at him. "Lexi, I mean. I know that I should've introduced you two a while ago, but I was nervous about the whole thing. She loves Sophia, she's good with her. And this weekend thing is kind of like a test, I guess. I want to see how she is with Sophia when I'm not around." Then he smiles. "Don't worry, I'll call her every how to see how they're doing."

I smile just a little. "Thank you, Stefan."

Then we do something that we didn't do since the divorce. Out of the blue, he just hugs me. And I hug him back. I don't know why I do, it just feels right. But it shouldn't. It should feel awkward and wrong since we're divorced and we're both seeing other people. But still.

I drive back to my house, eager to see my Damon. I step inside the house and he's sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels. I plop down next to him, sighing. "Hey." He says, kissing my head. "Hey there, little buddy." Damon smiles and rubs my belly gently. Then he looks up at me. "I can't believe we're having a boy. He's going to play football, you know. He'll be the quarterback and, of course, get all the hot cheerleaders."

I roll my eyes. "Are you kidding? He isn't dating until he's 32." I joke. But my smile quickly falters and Damon notices.

"What's wrong, Lena?" He asks, stroking my cheek.

I sigh, shaking my head. "Stefan. H-He starting dating this new girl, Lexi. And I mean, I don't care he's dating someone else. Good for him. But he has to go away to Richmond for the weekend and Lexi is watching Sophia and I'm just...I'm nervous." I ramble.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. If my brother trusts her, then you should do. As much as I hate to admit it, Stefan has good judgment." Damon says. I know he's right, but I'm still too concerned about Sophia. It feels like this two days won't go by fast enough. "Hey," He holds my face in his hands. "Don't worry, alright? It's not good for the little guy." Then we kiss and I curl up against him as he continues watching television.

A couple of hours later, Damon and I are in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. I'm picking up the dirty dishes on the kitchen table when I look over at the bookshelf and at the picture of Bonnie, Caroline, and I. I frown. I didn't talk to either of them since the fight we had over Damon. I miss them. They are my best friends. Or, they were my best friends. I don't know which.

Damon comes over to me and puts his arms on my shoulders, rubbing them gently. He can tell I'm upset about Bonnie and Caroline. I set down the dishes on the table and turn. He kisses me. We kiss more passionately as the seconds pass by. I open my mouth and his tongue slides in. We haven't had sex together since we made the baby. I know he's upset by that, but I just don't feel up to having sex. When I was pregnant with Sophia, my sex drive was through the roof. Now, I have none. The thought of sex makes me feel sick. We tried it once when I was four months, and I stopped because I felt nausea.

The phone rings and we're forced to break away. Damon sighs and picks up more of the dirty dishes and takes them over to the sink. I sigh too and go over and pick up the phone. "Hello?" I say. It's Lexi, her voice is shaky and I suppose she's been crying.

She says, "Sophia was in an accident."

**A/N: Cliffhanger! I planned Sophia getting into an accident for a while now and I'm excited to finally right it! And yep, it's official, Elena and Damon are having a boy! I still have to pick a name. Any suggestions? So far, my favorites are Mason, Ethan, Caleb, Eli, Gavin, Parker, and Nolan. Help me pick please! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING! **


	15. Chapter 15

She says, "Sophia was in an accident."

My whole stomach drops, like someone just set off a bomb. Suddenly, everything feels like I'm in a dream. I want to say:_What kind of accident? Where is she? Is she okay? Can I talk to her?_ But instead, all I can do is croak, "Wh-What?" Damon knits his eyebrows together in confusion. He sets the plates down and wraps his arms around my waist, trying to give me comfort.

"We were...we were," She sniffles. "She asked me if we could go get ice cream before bed. On our way to the ice cream parlor, I-I lost control and I..." She's sobbing. "I'm with her now, we're in the ambulance on the way to the hospital."

My brain barely processes the information, but I'm already crying. Usually, my eyes water before I actually start crying. But now it's instant. I can't breathe. I hang up the phone, absolutely disgusted with Lexi. Damn her. She could rot in hell for all I care. The phone breaks, I let it fall from my shaky hand. I pull away from Damon and rush over to the closet in the foyer. I open it and pull on the first jacket of mine.

Damon follows him, his face filled with concern. I'm about to put my arm in the jacket sleeve when he grabs it tightly, but not enough to cause me pain. "What the hell is going on Elena?" He drops my hand and reaches out, wiping away the tears on my face.

"Sophia was in an accident." I say, then finish pulling on my jacket, grab my car keys and rush out to my car. Damon follows me, not bothering to put own on his own jacket or even turn off the lights. I get the car and Damon gets in the passenger seat. Immediately, I take off towards the hospital. I'm still crying like a baby, it's getting hard to see.

Damon looks at me. "Elena, here, come on. Let me drive." He murmurs quietly. I shake my head. Because my eyes are so watery and I can barely see, I nearly swerve into the other lane. I involuntary let out a scream as I quickly turn the wheel away from the oncoming car. "Elena!" Damon shouts. But we're okay. So, I pull over to the side in the road and look at Damon.

"I need to get to the hospital, Damon! M-My daughter is there! I don't even know if she's okay!" I holler at him, but I'm not mad at him. I'm mad at Lexi. Furious at her. I'm clutching tightly onto the steering wheel. "Wh-What if she's not okay? Oh, God, Damon. What if.." I start but I can't finish. _Dead_. What if she's dead?

Damon sighs and pries my hands from the wheel, holding them tightly. He forces me to look at him. "Elena," He said in a hushed tone. "I understand that we need to get the hospital as fast as we can. But, that doesn't mean risking our own lives. You're right. Sophia needs you. But if you get into another car accident, you won't be able to be there for her. Let me drive. Please."

I nod and slowly get out of the car. Damon does too and he gets into the drivers seat and I get into the passenger seat. Damon drives, much more cautiously than I was. My mind is racing, all I can think about is my little baby. Oh God, she's probably terrified. Damon stays silent the rest of the way. I cry, looking out the window. We finally arrive at the hospital and Damon and I basically run into the hospital. I go straight up to the front desk where a women sits, looking through stacks of her papers.

The women looks up and sees me. "Hello, Miss, may I help you?" She asks.

"M-My daughter...she...she was in a car accident, I-I think. Where is she?! She's so little, tell me where she is. Tell me!" I shout. My fists slam down on the counter. The women raises her eyebrows and flinches. She probably thinks I'm crazy. Then again, maybe I am.

"Elena?" I hear a voice and turn around. A familiar doctor stands there, holding a clipboard.

"Dr. Brady," I walk over to him, sniffling. My Dad and him were friends, both of them doctors. I have pictures of him coming to my birthday parties when I was younger. He's a very close family friend, almost like an uncle to me. "Do you know where Sophia is?" He was one of the first people that came to visit me in the hospital after Sophia was born.

He nods. "Elena, honey," He puts his clipboard down on a nearby table and takes my hand, looking at me in the eyes. "She's in surgery right now. I think it's something with her stomach. I wasn't told what exactly was wrong, all I know is that Dr. Matthews is performing the surgery. You remember him, right? He was a friend of your Dad's. I know for a fact that he is doing everything he can to help her, she's going to be fine."

I start shaking. My little baby is in surgery right now? God, no. Suddenly, a women on the intercom announces, "Dr. Brady please report to the ER. Dr. Brady please report to the ER."

Dr. Brady sighs. "I'm so sorry, Elena. I have to go. I'll try to get as much information on Soph as I can." Then he walks away, towards the ER. I gulp. Something with her stomach? I think of her chubby little stomach laying on those cold, hospital table. I shiver. My body racks with sobs, everything feels numb. I feel like puking. So, I do.

Damon holds back my hair as I vomit, gently rubbing my back. After I'm done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and look up at Damon. "Come on," He whispers into my hair and ushers me over to the waiting room. I see Lexi sitting there, with some sort of cast on her arm.

I lunge toward her, hating her with everything I had. "How could you?! M-My daughter is in surgery because of you!" Damon wraps his arms around me, holding me back from tearing her eyes out with my finger nails. Lexi is crying too. But I don't care.

"I slipped on ice! It's not like I planned on getting into a car accident!" Lexi says defensibly. She was right. It was an _accident._ But, still. Because of her my poor little baby girl is in surgery. I wish so bad that I could just take her place, to take all of the pain away from her. I would take any bullet for Sophia. Damon pulls me over to a chair on the opposite side of the waiting room. He holds me as I cry.

Damon strokes my hair. I try to calm myself down, but I just can't. I think about my parents. It's like our family is cursed with car accident. I close my eyes, thinking of the feeling that I felt when that car went off the bridge. Feeling so vulnerable. I gulp, pushing those thoughts away. I take comfort thinking about my father, about how he is in that operating room and is watching over Sophia. I know that she'll be alright.

After about 30 minutes of crying, I finally calm down somewhat. That's when Stefan rushes in the waiting room. "Where is she? Huh?" Lexi stands up. Stefan marches over to her, he looks angry. "What happened? Dammit! I trust you with my daughter then I get a call from you saying that she was in a car accident. She's three, Lexi! She's fragile, you know that she wasn't healthy when she was born. What if that plays a part in all of this?"

Lexi stands up. "I'm sorry, Stefan! I-"

"I think you just better leave." He mutters. Lexi stares at him in shock. But she doesn't argue and just leaves the hospital. Stefan sighs, rubbing his forehead then he turns around and looks at me and Damon. He walks towards us. "Did you hear anything?" All of his anger with Lexi disappeared and now he looks sad, scared.

I nod slowly. "Yeah. A little. Dr. Brady told me that she's in surgery, that Dr. Matthews is performing the surgery. He was a friend of my Dad's. He said something is wrong with her stomach." My voice cracks at the end. Stefan sighs again.

Then he opens his arms. "Come here." He whispers. I stand up and hug him tightly. I guess Lexi called him, thank God she did because it completely slipped my mind. I completely forgot to contact anyone.

"Brother," Damon's voice breaks the hug. I pull away from Stefan and look at Damon. He looks angry. I frown. Probably because of mine and Stefan's hug. I sigh, looking back and forth between Stefan and Damon.

"Damon," Stefan responds, monotone.

"Look, can you both just ignore each other or something? I'm worried sick about Soph and that something might happen to her. The last thing I need is for you two to act like bickering old ladies." I say sternly. But the two continue to glare at each other. I sigh. "Damon, can you do me a favor?" I pull my phone out of my pocket. "Can you please call Jenna, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt?" Damon nods and stands up slowly, taking my phone. Then he walks out of the waiting room. At least this will give Stefan and I a few minutes to talk in private.

Stefan turns and looks at me. "Lexi explained everything. I get that it was an accident and that accidents happen...but I just...I can't trust her with Sophia anymore. Not after this." He shakes his head. I realize that he means that he is going to break up with Lexi. It's hard to gain back trust once it's gone. I feel bad for him. I know that Stefan really liked Lexi, and to end things over an accident. I bit my lip.

"I'm sorry." Is all I can say. Stefan shrugs. Then we sit down together. He starts tapping his foot nervously. Damon comes back a few minutes later, he tells us that all of my friends and family are on their way.

An hour later, Jeremy, Anna, Alaric, Jenna, and Matt all joined us in the living room. I look around at the scene. I wonder if this is what they looked like when they were all waiting in the same waiting room for news that Sophia was born. Suddenly, I look up and Caroline and Bonnie bursts in. "Elena!" Caroline rushes over to me. I stand up and she wraps me tightly into a hug. "Oh my God, where is she? Is she okay? Is she out of surgery?"

I shake my head. "No, she's still in surgery. You remember Dr. Matthews, right? He's doing the surgery. They said it's something about her stomach." Caroline nods slowly and glances over at Bonnie. I haven't talked to them in months. They were still angry about the whole Damon thing.

"Elena, do you mind if we speak with you in private?" Bonnie says. I nod and the three of us slip out of the waiting room and go into one of the empty hospital halls. I look at them. Caroline bites her lip.

"What do you two want to talk about?" I ask, watching them.

"We want to apologize. Especially now since you're...huge." Caroline gestures to my stomach. "And because of all of this with Sophia. If you're happy with Damon, then we're happy for you." Caroline says and Bonnie nods in agreement. I smile slightly at them and hug them tightly.

"It's okay. I missed you guys." I say but then I hear Dr. Matthews familiar voice from the waiting room. _The surgery is over. _I turn around and rush back into the waiting room. "Dr. Matthews," I greet him. "How is she?" I asked, even I can hear the worry in my voice.

Dr. Matthews smile, that's a sign of relief. "She's fine. She's in the recovery room now. You and Stefan are allowed to come see her. She can have more visitors when she's feeling better." Stefan stands up from his seat. Then both of us follow Dr. Matthews back into the recovery room.

There she is. There is our precious little daughter laying in the hospital bed. She's fast asleep. The anesthesia didn't wear off yet. But we walk over to her bed. Stefan stands on one side and I stand on the other. Suddenly, her eyes flutter open to reveal the dark brown doe eyes just like mine. "Mommy? Daddy?" She whispers, looking at both of us. This must be a strange sight for her. Since our divorce, she barely ever seen Stefan and I together.

Stefan smiles and a tear rolls down my face. "Yeah, Princess. How are you feeling?" I gently stroking her curly hair out of her eyes. I smile too.

"My belly hurts a little." She whines a little. But she doesn't look like she's in too much pain.

Stefan looks down and kisses her forehead. "It's okay. It's all over, Soph."

**Hey guys! I had a ton of writers block while writing this chapter. So, this is kinda a sucky chapter. There was no Delena in this chapter, but Elena's friends and family started supporting her on her decision to be with Damon.**

**Elena is going to have their son very soon! I'm still deciding on the name. Here is what I think about each name I picked out in previous chapter.**

**Mason - I've always liked this name, but as someone pointed out to me, this is the name of Tyler's uncle. Ugh! I completely forgot about Uncle Mason. Terrible of me, right?**

**Ethan - I think this is cute name. But, I know a Ethan (two actually) and I'm not a big fan of one Ethan. So...**

**Caleb - For some reason, I think of this name as a cute little brother name.**

**Eli - I really like this name! I think it's a boyish name.**

**Gavin - The more I think about this name, the more I don't like it.**

**Parker - I think this is a different name.**

**Nolan - Like Parker, this is a different name and something you don't hear often.**

**Help me pick out a name! Also, thank you so much for reviewing and reading.**

** And I want to thank someone special - bukibuki. She is another person on here that writes VD fanfiction and she is the one who inspired me to start posting on this site. She always reviews my chapters and I honestly don't think I would've continued writing this story without her. She promotes me so now I want to do the same for her. So, please, please, PLEASE check out her stories. She is on my profile under my favorite authors. And I definitely recommend reading Not Like the Movies which was originally a Nian fanfic but then she turned it into a Delena fanfic. It's honestly one of my favorite fanfictions EVER! Also, make sure you follow her on Tumblr. Her URL on Tumblr is alwaysgonnabedamon (It's not letting me copy the link. Ugh!)**

**So, please, read, review, enjoy, wait until next chapter, check out bukibuki's stories and her tumblr, and enjoy her amazing stories!**

**Oh! I almost forgot. I'm already thinking of a new story to post on here and I have some ideas.**

**1 - I absolutely love the Hunger Games and Vampire Diaries. So, crossover anyone?! It would be the Vampire Diaries characters in The Hunger Games.**

**2 - Another idea is a Hunger Games fanfiction that takes place after Mockingjay and shows Katniss and Peeta's lives.**

**3 - Another Damon and Elena story.**

**Help me pick! Thanks! Love you all!**


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you ready to go home, princess?" I ask. One month later, Sophia has gotten healthier and my stomach has gotten bigger. She lays in the hospital bed, watching some cartoons on the TV. Stefan is packing up her things, including all the cards and flowers and balloons and toys our friends and family gave her. Sophia loves all the attention. Even some of the doctors and nurses that my Dad knew gave her gifts.

Sophia nods. "Yeah." Then she looks over at Stefan then back at me. "Is Daddy coming with us?" I swallow hard. I was thinking about it, and I sure as hell know that Damon and Stefan were thinking about it too. Stefan should be able to stay at our house for a little. Sophia is still recovering from her surgery, her stomach is still weak and we'll have to take care of her extra carefully. If Sophia was going to Stefan's house, I would surely want to be there. But I know that Damon won't be too happy about Stefan staying with us for a little.

"I don't know, Soph. I'll have to talk to Damon about it." I don't want to say anything else because then she'll just be disappointed if Damon refuses. Then I turn around and see Damon standing the doorway of Sophia's hospital room. The three of us were stuck in this hospital all month, every day, and I'm sure that Damon was thrilled to get away from Stefan. He was wearing jeans, a dark blue shirt even though it was pretty warm out.

"Hey," He says. "The car is out front." Then he steps closer into the room. He comes over to me and wraps his arms around my waist from behind me. Usually, he doesn't show much PDA with me around Stefan. But now, and in the past few days, he's been extra close, extra clingy. Like a dog, showing another dog that it's his turf.

I look up at Stefan. "Stefan, can you get Sophia changed?" He gets the hint that I have to talk to Damon about the whole Stefan staying with us situation. He nods and picks up Sophia gently from her bed and carries her into the bathroom that's attached to the hospital room. I watch him, making sure he isn't hurting her stomach. Then I turn around and look at Damon. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Damon's ice blue eyes are set on my stomach, watching for any movement. Lately, he has always been touching and staring at and feeling my stomach. He especially loves it when he could feel the baby kick. Then he glances up at me. "Of course, Lena. Is everything okay?" He asks.

I nod, to assure him that I'm fine. "Yeah, it's just...um...well," I sigh, not exactly know how to put it into words. "would you be okay with Stefan staying with us for a few days? Sophia still isn't fully recovered and she needs special care. I know that if Sophia was staying with him, I would be worried sick about her all the time. H-He won't stay long, just three or four days, then he'll leave." The words sound ridiculous coming out of my mouth. It's absolutely absurd, my ex-husband staying at my house for a few days while we take care of our sick child together. So, I decide to add, "I mean, he won't be sleeping over or anything. He'll probably come over for a couple hours a day then he'll leave at night and return in the morning."

Damon sighs, thinking about it as he caresses my stomach. He stays silent for a few moments then finally speaks up. "Fine. But if he tries to pull anything on you..." He starts. I stop him with a kiss. It was just a quick one, barely with any passion but it at least gave him the idea that I only belonged to him. Damon kisses me again a second later. "I love you, Elena." He whispers, stroking my cheek.

"I love you too."

Stefan and Sophia come out of the bathroom. Sophia is now wearing pink sweatpants and a white t-shirt. I pull away from Damon and rush over to her, gently stroking her dark brown curls. I wonder what mine and Damon's baby will look like. His eyes or mine? His hair or mine? His personality or mine? I have a month left. One more month until we found out. But, I think it could come at any time now. Sophia was born early, and maybe it's something wrong with my genes that causes my babies to be born earlier. I turn around and look at Damon. "Damon, do you mind carrying Sophia's stuff to the car?" I glance over at Sophia's bag and the two vases filled with flowers that Stefan packed up earlier. He nods silently and picks up the stuff then leaves the hospital room. I look at Stefan. "Damon said you can stay. But not sleep over." I look down at Sophia, who looks sleepy.

Stefan frowns. "Awkwardness aside, Elena, I'm going to be worried sick all night about her. I won't be able to sleep a wink." Sophia's eyes close. I remember Dr. Matthews saying that the medicine she takes will give her fatigue. Stefan shifts her carefully in his arms so her head lolls against his chest.

"I know, Stefan. I would be too. But we both know how Damon is when he gets mad. And let's face it, he's going to be furious over us spending all day together and I-" He cuts me off.

"The only reason we'll be spending all day together is to take care of our injured daughter because she was in surgery." He says. I sigh, shaking my head.

"Come on, Stefan. You know that if anything goes wrong in the middle of the night, I'll call you the second it happens. I promise." I look at Stefan. I never really noticed how green his eyes were. No bright, but dark. Swamp like. They were gorgeous. I wish that Sophia inherited his eyes instead of mine. Mine are too boring, lifeless. But his are full of energy, mystical even. He nods slowly, knowing that he won't be able to talk me into letting him stay the nights. Then I clear my throat and say, "Ready?" He nods again and then we leave the hospital.

Damon's silent when we arrive home. He just simply carries Sophia's bags in, sets them in the foyer, then quickly escapes into the kitchen. I frown, watching him. But I'm not going to go after him. Let him be alone. It's really not a big deal, Stefan is only staying for a couple of hours to help me take care of Sophia. Stefan carries Sophia upstairs and I follow. He gently lays her down on her bed. Sophia looks around the room, smiling. I'm sure she missed it.

"How you feeling?" Stefan asks Sophia, sitting at the foot of her bed. I sit down in the rocking chair next to her bed, the same light pink rocking chair that I used to rock her to sleep when she was a baby.

"Sleepy," Sophia yawns. I watch as Stefan tucks her in gently then kisses her forehead. I watch them. And suddenly I'm back to only about a year ago when we were doing this, still married and still happy. That seems like a lifetime ago. Stefan and I watch as our precious daughter sleeps. After a few moments, we decide to leave her be and so we quietly slipped down the stairs.

"What do you want for dinner?" Damon asks when we come into the kitchen. Even though Stefan is right behind me, I know that Damon is strictly talking to me. At least Stefan is _trying_ to act civil towards him. But they've been ignoring each other, but I'm not going to say anything because at least there is no arguing or physical fighting. "I was thinking scallops? Or shrimp maybe?"

I shake my head. "Stefan's allergic to shellfish." I say, absentmindedly. After the words are out of my mouth, I curse at myself silently.

"I didn't ask for what Stefan wanted for dinner, now, did I?" Damon says a little bit too harshly. He's frowning at me. Glaring, even. I bit my lip. I don't want to say anything, I don't want to start a fight between Damon and I. So I keep my mouth shut.

But it's Stefan the one that speaks up. "That's no way to talk to your girlfriend, is it, Damon?" I'm standing the middle of the two Salvatore brothers. Damon lifts his chin, both of them glaring at each other. God. When will this Salvatore family feud ever end? Then again, I'm not helping too much.

Damon smirks. "At least she is my girlfriend and not my _ex-wife_. This must really suck, huh? Your wife and the mother of your precious little Sophia dumps you for your big brother." Then he steps past me until he's right in front of Stefan's face. "Big brother always wins." I know that this is an allusion to _1984_ by George Orwell.

"Did you really win, Damon? Because I don't think you did." Stefan crosses his arms. "Sure, you managed to take my wife from me and get her pregnant, but you still didn't win. If you were actually smart and covered your dick, you wouldn't have gotten her pregnant, now, would you? No. She would still be with me and that would be our baby in her stomach." Stefan scoffs. "Do you think that she really loves you, Damon? Who would love a son of a bitch like you?"

I swallow hard. I hate how they're talking about me like I'm not in the room. So I wedge myself between the two furious brothers. "Would you two stop it? I'm clearly not in the mood. So, can you please just shut up and ignore each other like you were doing perfectly before?" Damon is still glaring at Stefan though. I look at him. "Damon."

His eyes flicker to me and he says quietly, "I'm going for a walk." He heads for the door.

I follow him quickly. "Damon, what is your problem?!" He just ignores me and walks out the door. Just like that.

* * *

_Damon snakes his arms around my waist, placing his hands on my little bump that won't be little for much longer. I laugh as I turn around and face him. He leans in for a kiss but I pull away. "Damon, we really have to finish unpacking." I smile at him. I trace his muscles on his chest through his shirt with my fingernails. His eyes concentrate on that. "I still can't believe you're moving in with me and Sophia."_

_He finally looks up at me and smiles. "I know, I can't wait." He kisses me again. I let him this time. It's in that moment that I realize how perfect we are for each other. I know exactly where to put my hands on his chest, sometimes I even run them up his neck and twirl them into his ebony hair. Then he kisses my neck and I get goosebumps. Soon, we lay down on the bed. He lays on top, but not putting weight on my stomach. We stay like that for a while, kissing and touching each other. Soon, he sits up and pulls off his shirt. _

_That's when I stop and shake my head. "No, Damon. You know how much I love you and I just don't want too...not now..." I start and I expect him to plead with me, to persuade me into having sex with him. But he doesn't. Instead, he simply nods but he keeps his shirt off. Which is fine by me. _

_We finish unpacking his things. I stare at the closet. It looks strange without Stefan's stuff still. But now Stefan's clothes are replaced by Damon's. I can't decide which I liked better. I liked when Stefan's things were here because it provided me with a sense of security, Stefan would protect me at all costs. I'm sure that Damon would protect me at all costs too. But I liked the little family that Stefan and I created. After we finish unpacking his clothes, we go downstairs._

_Damon sits down on the couch and I curl up against him, my head on his chest. He plays with a strand of my dark brown hair. "What does it feel like?" He asks abruptly. I look at him, confused. But his eyes are trained on the piece of my hair that he slides between his finger. _

_"What does what feel like?" I ask him._

_"Being pregnant," He shrugs, finally tearing his eyes away from my hair and looks at me. God, his eyes are so perfect. I find myself staring into them too much. But I can now. He's my boyfriend and I love him. "Come on, it has to be weird having a little human inside of you."_

_I shrug too. "It's not that weird. I guess I just don't think about it often." He watches me with his intense eyes. "The weirdest thing that ever happened to me while I was pregnant with Sophia was when I saw her footprint in my stomach. And I wouldn't even describe that as weird. More like beautiful, amazing." _

_He looks at me like I'm crazy. "You saw her footprint in your stomach?" I nod and stand up. I walk over to the bookshelf and take down the picture from it and show him the picture. It's of my pregnant stomach, with a little footprint in it. Amazing. He smiles at it then looks up at me. "I hope we get to see our baby's footprint like that. Or handprint."_

_I remember when Stefan took that picture. It was on a rainy, Sunday morning. I woke up then went into the bathroom to take a shower. I pulled my shirt off and saw just a little footprint there. I called out Stefan's name and he ran upstairs frantically, probably thinking something was wrong. When he saw it, his face broke out in a smile and immediately grabbed his camera and took a picture of it._

_He sets the picture frame down on the table next to the couch and pulls me back down on his lap. Then he whispers in my ear. "Thank you."_

_"For what?"_

_"Carrying my baby."_

* * *

Later that night, Damon still isn't back and Sophia is still asleep. Actually, she woke up, ate some soup then went back to bed. Stefan sits next to her on the bed again while I sit on the rocking chair next to bed. I'm clutching my cell phone in my hand. He hasn't called. He probably just went out for a drink or two or maybe to hang out with a few friends of his. Anything to get rid of his anger. But I'm still worried. I tried calling him and he refuses to answer. I sigh softly.

Stefan looks up at me. "How you feeling?" He asks in a whisper, then nods towards my stomach. I shrug simply. Then he sighs too. "Look, Elena, I'm sorry about the thing with Damon. It's just...he gets on my nerves sometimes..."

"It's not your fault, Stefan." I say quietly. Sophia stirs in her sleep and I watch her. Her rosy cheeks. Her steady breathing. I close my eyes, wondering how Sophia will be with a new little brother. I wonder how Stefan will react the first time he sees him. I wonder how Damon will react the first time he sees him. Then suddenly, my eyes flutter open and I look at Stefan. "Remember when Sophia decided it was okay to color on the walls?" I blurt out.

Stefan chuckles, not too loud to wake up Sophia. "How could I forget?" He shakes his head, still laughing. "I don't think I was ever so mad in my life, over something as stupid as that. That's not funny, though. The funny part was who she told us did it." I'm still laughing too, trying not to laugh too loudly to wake up our sleeping daughter.

"She told us her imaginary brother did." I shake my head too. We sit there, laughing for a little over it. It's nice to reminisce on good times. Everyone should. It brings pleasure from pain, from hard times. When I'm going through something bad, sometimes I just close my eyes and think of a good memory. It helps.

Stefan stands up quickly, just as soon as I feel the liquid start soaking through my pants and onto the cushion on the chair. "Elena.." He starts. I look down. My water just broke. And Damon isn't here.

**A little longer chapter than usual! I love leaving off with cliffhangers. So, whadda think? I hope you guys enjoyed it! So, please, review it. Thank you all so much for reading! I cannot express in words how excited I get when I see someone has reviewed or favorite the story or followed the story.**

**Remember to read some of bukibuki's stories on here. She's on my favorite authors list. Please read her stories! I 100% recommend Not Like the Movies. That was the first one I read from her and I loved it.**

**Also, I've been thinking of another story to write.**

**1 - I absolutely love the Hunger Games and Vampire Diaries. So, crossover anyone?! It would be the Vampire Diaries characters in The Hunger Games.**

**2 - Another idea is a Hunger Games fanfiction that takes place after Mockingjay and shows Katniss and Peeta's lives. This is more interesting than it sounds. Believe me, there will be plenty of action and drama.**

**3 - Another Damon and Elena story.**

**I think I'm leaning towards the crossover because I absolutely adore THG and TVD. I have everything planned out in my head, who dies, who lives, how someone dies, everything. Plus, I don't really get to write a lot of action and fight scenes, so that'll get to be a challenge for me! Woohoo! Tell me what you think!**

**Oh, and I decided on a name for their son. You'll find out what it is in the next chapter!**

**Thank you so much again! Love you all! **


	17. Chapter 17

Stefan's eyes are wide, his face pale. He looks exactly like he did when I went into labor with Sophia. He stands up and rushes over to me, kneeling down next to the rocking chair I'm on. I'm in shock. All I want is Damon. _Damon isn't here,_ the words make me tremble. _I can't do this. Not without Damon. I can't do this._ "I can't do this, Stefan," I blurt out my thoughts to him. "not with Damon." I'm breaking out in a cold sweat, my hands are shaking and they won't stop.

"Hey, look at me." I look at him. "I'm going to call Damon, alright? I'll call him and he'll come and everything will be fine, okay?" That's Stefan for you, he somehow always manages to stay calm during a crisis. Thank God for that. I nod dumbly then I glance down at Sophia who, despite the very soon arrival of her little brother, is sleeping peacefully. I squeeze my eyes shut, cutting off all panic and think back to when we welcomed Sophia into this world.

* * *

_"Any ideas for names, Mrs. Salvatore?" The nurse asked me. I like her. She's friendly, cautious, the type of nurse that you genuinely believe cares about your wellbeing. I think her name is Margie, some type of uncommon name now. She's the type of nurse that practically skips around the halls and her perky blonde pony tail bounces along with her._

_"Sophia." I smile. "Sophia Miranda Salvatore." The name that Stefan and I agreed on at my baby shower. It's a simple pretty name. Since then, I often thought about changing it. Maybe to Ava or Scarlett or Carly, but when I look at my little, pink skin, peach fuzz for hair, baby girl, the only name that could describe her perfectly well was Sophia. So, Sophia it is._

_Stefan rushes into the room, he's wearing jeans and button up navy shirt and his leather jacket. "Hey, sorry. Meeting ran late. How is she? Did you feed her?" He asks urgently as he sits in the chair right next to my bed. He might as well tattoo his name onto the seat since he's always sitting there. Gently, he takes Sophia from my arms and holds her, smiling down at her. I'm amazed at how comfortable those two look together already. _

_I can't help but laugh a little. "Stefan, come on, give me more credit than that. You act like I don't know a single thing on how to take care of a baby. I've been a Mom for, what, a whole two days now." He simply rolls his eyes. "Yes, I fed her and she slept for about an hour." I answer him just so he would stop worrying so much._

_Then I pause, thinking. We've been a family for two days now and there still isn't a picture to prove it. So I take my phone from my bedside table and look over at Margie. "Do you mind taking a picture of us?" I ask. I look over at Stefan who's smiling with amusement. Margie nods quickly and grabs the phone from my hand. Stefan scoots closer to me, trying to get Sophia on a good angle for the picture. 1,2,3 - _snap_. Picture taken. Margie hands me back my phone then exits the room. I look down at picture. My hair is pulled back in a pony tail and I'm makeup less. Stefan looks like he always does - handsome and happy. And Sophia is with her eyes close and her rosy cheeks._

_The Salvatore family._

* * *

Stefan holds his iPhone to his ear and I can hear it ringing. And ring and ring and ring but there's no response. Stefan hangs up and mutters, "Shit." Then he stuffs his phone back in his pocket and looks at me. He holds onto my hand tightly. "It'll be okay, Elena. I promise. I'll get hold of Damon and he'll come. But right now, we really need to get you to the hospital." He stands up, letting my hand fall.

"But what about Sophia?" I look over at the sleeping beauty again. Stefan looks at her too and sighs softly. He doesn't want to leave her, I don't want to leave her either. She just got out of the hospital, dammit.

Stefan takes his phone back out and calls someone. "Caroline, hey, it's me, Stefan." He says. A pause. "No, Soph is fine. But Elena isn't..." I can faintly hear Caroline freaking out over the phone. "No, no, no, she's not dead Caroline." He rolls his eyes. "She's going in a labor. Damon isn't here-" Stefan gets cut off. I can imagine Caroline screaming at her fancy little mansion, _Then where the hell is he?!_ "Look, can you just watch Sophia? I would say you should take Elena to the hospital but I know you don't do well with blood and hospitals. Please?" A few seconds later he hangs up the phone and looks at me. "She's coming."

I nod silently. A few moments pass when I finally break the silence by blurting out, "Thank you."

He shrugs the _it's-no-big-deal shrug_. But it is a big deal. He's helping his ex wife who cheated on him go to the hospital with his brother's baby. It's such a twisted life, huh? I gulp, not a time for me to feel guilty now. Stefan must hate this baby. This is the baby that tore about our marriage by only being conceived. _No,_ I think,_ I did that. I tore about our marriage. Not Stefan._

A few minutes later, I hear the front door burst open and in a matter of seconds, Caroline is up in the bedroom. "I'm here!" She announces as if it isn't obvious. I glare at her as Sophia twitches in her sleep so she lowers her voice and marches over to Stefan. "You, get her to the hospital. Now. Sophia will be fine, she's with her Aunt Caroline."

"You know that you aren't actually her aunt-" Stefan starts but he stops once Caroline gives me the death glare then he smacks his arm. Not too hard to cause a _slap_ sound but just enough to punish him.

"Go!" She says in a loud whisper and she gestures over to me. It looks like her eyes are ready to bulge out of her head. Stefan doesn't say anything and walks over to me, gently helping me stand. He helps me down the stairs and out the front door. I'm not having any pain yet, but I know that'll come soon and will go away as soon as my son enters this world. He helps me into his car and hands me his cell phone.

"Here, call Damon." He tells me and I nod, taking his phone. I scroll through his contacts and I'm surprised that he has Damon in his phone. I can't help but take a quick peek at his favorites list. Yep, I'm in there. Of course I was. We have to talk a lot. About Sophia, of course.

I call Damon. He finally answers on the third time. "Damon!" I sigh with relief, at least I got hold of him. "Where are you?"

It's like I could hear Damon shrug. "Mystic Grill. Indulging myself for a little scotch. Wait, is that okay or do I have to worry about whether Stefan is allergic to it or not?" I could hear him take another swig of his scotch. _Gulp_.

"Are you drunk?" I frown. Imagine a drunk Damon standing in my room while I'm giving birth to his first child. _Asshole_, I think. And he is a no good very rotten asshole for leaving me and especially if he gets drunk.

"No, but I'm planning on to. God, I need a drinking buddy. Do you have any in mind for me? Does...uh, what's his name...Jenna's boyfriend or husband or whatever - Alaric! That's it. Does Alaric want a drinking buddy?" I roll my eyes. _Asshole_.

"Damon, I'm going into labor."

_Crash._

He must've dropped his scotch.

"What?!" He sounds panicked now. "Where are you right now? Where is Sophia, is she okay? Dammit! Look, stay where you are. I'll be right there. Dammit, dammit, dammit."

"Damon, I-I'm fine." No, I'm not really fine, I'm going in labor. I'm freaking out. "I'm with Stefan." I swallow, wondering how he's going to take that. "Sophia is asleep at the house, Caroline is watching her. Can you please just meet us at the hospital?" Then I add in, "Please? I need you, Damon." I sound like some idiotic girl. _I need you_. But it's true. As much as I hate to admit it, I was always the type of girl who needed a guy in her life, someone to protect her, to love her, to care for her.

"I'm on my way." Pause. "I love you." And before I have a chance to tell him I love you back, he hangs up.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Shit, shit, shit. Go, go, go. At least the traffic isn't that heavy, considering it's rush hour. I'll be at the hospital in matter of seconds. But am I ready for this? Am I ready to be a father? Guess I better get ready, this baby will be here in just a few hours. I'm driving so fast that I crash into another car. The guy driving the other car flips me off. "My girlfriend is going into labor, asshole!" I shout at him, giving him the bird back.

Five minutes later, I'm at Mystic Falls Hospital. I demand the nurse to tell me where Elena is and she tells me - room 357. I rush into the elevator and press the button for the third floor. What a coincidence. Elena's hospital room number is 357, the same number of the hotel room I stayed in at Gully's Hotel. Damn, I hated that place. No good ladies to flirt with, to make love with. Until Elena came along, of course. That was back when I was with Katherine. Thinking about her makes something weird happen in my stomach. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'll puke.

Down the hallway and to the left is where room 357 is. I run in. Stefan is standing her, holding onto Elena's hand. She's gripping it tightly, her face scrunched up with pain. I feel a pang of jealously. I can only hope that she's not holding her hand because she wants to, but because she has to. Like the whole "bite the bullet" thing. Clutching something or biting onto something strongly makes the pain less intense and keeps you from screaming out. Elena looks at me and her face floods with relief. I run over to her, pushing Stefan away and grabbing her hand. "I'm here, Lena. It's okay. I'm right here." I look behind my shoulder to see Stefan exit the room. Good.

"Damon.." Her voice shakes. God, she's in so much pain. How much longer will this last? I gently brush a piece of her velvety chocolate brown hair away from her doe brown eyes. "You're here." A small smile appears on her face.

I nod slowly. "I'm here, everything is okay." I kiss her forehead.

Two hours later - the pain is just getting worse.

Five hours later - she's gripping onto my hand so tightly I think she's cutting off circulation.

Eight hours later - finally, she's getting an epidural.

Twelve hours later - I hear a faint little cry.

The doctor pulls out a little baby, covered with blood. A smile breaks out on my face and I look Elena, she's smiling too. Like the pain never even existed. And I know that's the ultimate love, when you don't mind how much pain a person that puts you through. _He's so little_, I think looking at our son. The nurse cleans him off then gently hand him to Elena.

That's when it hits me.

_Holy shit. I'm a Dad._

* * *

**Elena's POV**

An hour later, it's just the three of us in the hospital room - me, Damon, and our son. I'm holding him, making sure I support his head, and Damon is laying next to me in the hospital bed. One arm around me, his other hand gently rubbing our son's tiny fingers with his finger. "He's so precious." Damon says. I look up at him and swear I see tears forming in his blue eyes.

I nod slowly and look down just in time to see our son open his eyes for the first time. Blue. Just like Damon's. A tear rolls down my cheek as I smile proudly. I watch as our son studies the faces of his parents. A few moments later, Damon speaks up, "What should we name him?"

I answer, "Caleb Grayson Salvatore."

**Finally finished with this chapter. Woohoo! So, it didn't have much drama in his chapter because 1, I wanted this chapter to be nice and sweet to welcome their son into my little story, and 2, because I feel like you guys have suffered through so many cliffhangers and drama that I figured I'd give you guys a break. Haha. But there will be PLENTY of drama in upcoming chapters, I promise you!**

**So, yes, I decided on the name Caleb. I think it's cute and a lot of other people liked that name. Grayson after Elena's Dad, of course. **

**Did you like that I did Damon's POV? When I first started out this story, I told myself that I wasn't going to do any other characters POVs. But then I got to this chapter and I thought it would be perfect to have Damon's POV.**

**Why I did update in a long time? I have an answer. I've been reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and it's absolutely amazing. Read it if you're into crime stuff. It's pretty twisted. Haha.**

**Oh, I almost forgot! I think I'm just going to write the Hunger Games/Vampire Diaries crossover. Which as DELENA in it, so it's the best of both worlds. But I want this finish this story before I beginning writing another, and I still have plenty of chapters planned for this story.**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and favoriting and following. It's means so much! And make sure to check out bukibuki's stories on here. (She's on my Favorite Author's list)**


	18. Chapter 18

Two days later, Caleb and I are finally allowed to leave the hospital. He's healthy, with ten fingers and ten toes and two parents that'll love him for infinity. He looks exactly like Damon: pale skin, blue eyes, dark hair. Watching those two bond already is possibly one of the greatest feelings I'll ever experience in the world.

Sophia is with Stefan at his house. Even though little Caleb is two days old, he has yet to see his older sister. Nerves were building on the way home. Damon is driving, 5 MPH of course, while Caleb and I are in the backseat. What if Sophia doesn't like her little brother? What if she's scared that he'll get all the attention? Both Stefan and Damon assures me that she'll be fine, that she'll love a little brother to play with. But I'm still worried.

We arrive back at our home, it looks exactly the same from when we left. As Damon helps me out of the car, I wince a little. His eyebrows knit together in concern. "Are you okay, babe?" He asks. His voice soft. Caring. Sweet.

I nod slowly. "Just a little sore, still." Damon nods and then I carefully pick Caleb out of his car seat, he watches me with his little eyes. Damn, he's so cute. So little. Unbelievably precious and all mine and Damon's. And slowly, we walk into the house together, Damon's arm wrapped around my waist, smiling at his son.

"Lena, I'll watch Cale," Damon kisses my forehead. "And you go shower," He kisses between my eyebrows. "Then you get dressed," He kisses my nose. "And I'll cook dinner and we'll all eat together, with Sophia, as a family." Then finally my lips. Gently, and without my consent, Damon takes Caleb from my arms and smiles down at him. He looks proud to be a Daddy. I smile, knowing that I can't argue with Damon when he's in Daddy mode. So, I go upstairs and into our bathroom and into the shower.

After I shower, I get dressed: bootcut jeans, a dark purple thermal, a lace camisole underneath, and I straighten my hair. Then I look in the mirror. For the first time in a long time, I think I see Happy Elena. I think that the last time I ever saw Happy Elena was after Sophia was born. Of course I was happy when I could finally call Damon mine, but there is just a look that I get when I have a kid. People say that women get a "glow" when they're pregnant, but I think the climax of the glow comes right after they have their child.

I rush downstairs, eager to see my little man. And my big man. They're in the kitchen, Damon is holding Caleb with one arm, a dish towel over his shoulder, while he's stirring something on a stove. "Hey," I come over to him, taking Caleb from him. Damon smiles and kisses me. "How is he?" I ask, gently pushing playing with a piece of Caleb's dark hair.

"He's fine. He loves his Daddy." Damon smirks. I laugh and shake my head. Then the doorbell rings. I give Caleb back to Damon then I walk to the door and swing it open. It's Stefan and Sophia of course. Sophia smiles wide and I kneel down, hugging her tightly. I kiss her head repeatedly. Then I look up at Stefan. He doesn't look awkward anymore, like he would always look whenever he would drop Sophia off here.

"Well, where is he?!" Sophia asks eagerly.

"Caleb is with Damon," Then I look over my shoulder. "Damon! Come in here!" I look back at Stefan and Sophia. "Come on in you two." I smile and the three of us, the former Salvatore family, come into my house. Sophia sits at the end of the couch, I sit next to her, while Stefan stands next to the fireplace, hands in pockets.

Damon walks in the room with Caleb. Sophia squeals when she sees him. "Hey, Soph, this is your new little brother. Caleb Grayson Salvatore." Damon smiles and puts Caleb in my arms. My little man is sleeping, his eyes squeezed shut and his little fists curled up tightly.

Sophia's eyes light up. "Aw! He's so cute!" She exclaims, reaching out and gently poking Caleb's nose. "Hi, Cal-bub. I'm your biggy sister, Sophia. But sometimes Mommy and Daddy call me Soph. That's Mommy," Sophia points to me. "She's really nice. But she gets mad when you ask for ice cream for breakfast." Sophia giggles then she points to Damon. "That's Damon. He let's me have ice cream for breakfast. But shh! Don't tell Mommy." Then she points to Stefan. "That's Daddy. He's really funny and he-"

"Soph, I-" Stefan starts. I swallow hard, looking at Damon. Oh, God. How are we going to explain to Sophia that Stefan isn't Caleb's Dad? Stefan sighs and slowly sits next to me on the couch. I look at Damon, he looks stern, as if his eyes are saying, _Don't get too close._ But I simply shake my head at him and look at Stefan, wondering what he's going to say. "Sophia, Damon is Caleb's Daddy. Sometimes big sisters and little brothers have different Daddies. Sometimes they have different Mommies. And that's okay."

Sophia watches Stefan intently, nodding at him. "Oh." She says and I can't help but to sigh with relief. "But how come we have different Daddies?"

I think I'm going to faint.

Damon speaks up. "It's just the way it is, Soph." Damon shrugs. I think he just dodged a bullet. There's no way I'm explaining to my little daughter how babies are made. And there's definitely no way I'm explaining to her that I cheated on her Daddy but having sex with Damon and that's how Caleb was made. Then Damon kneels in front of Sophia. "But I promise you, Sophia that I will take very good care of your little brother because I love him very, very much. And I love you very, very much. And I love Mommy very, very much."

Then Sophia asks, "Do you love my Daddy very, very much?"

Damon sighs. "Yes, Soph. I love your Daddy very, very much." I look over at Stefan, who can't help but grin. Then Damon looks at Stefan. I think it's the first time they looked at each other in the eye in a very, very long time. I watch him. Stefan never told me any funny, childhood stories of the two of them. And neither did Damon. If anything, they just explained to me why they hate each other so much and all the bad things the two of them did. The Salvatore brothers must have some good memories.

Stefan clears his throat and stands up. "I better head home." I nod slowly. I wonder what he's going to do when he goes home. Have a drink probably. Have a drink while his ex wife is off living the life that she wants. Sophia stands up quickly and hugs her Daddy, and he kisses her head. Stefan walks to the door but the strange thing is that Damon follows. Sophia starts talking to me, and I'm bracing myself for a fight between the two Daddies. Instead, all I can hear is: "Take care of her, Damon...she...great..." I wish Sophia would lower her voice so I could her those two talk. "I love her...both of them...and Cal-bub." I hear Stefan chuckle, pronouncing Caleb how Sophia pronounces Caleb. Then Damon says something but I can't make out what he's saying. Then I hear Stefan leave and Damon comes back in the living room.

"You two ladies hungry?"

* * *

Later that night, Damon carries Caleb's crib into our bedroom. I ask him too, we did the same thing for Sophia when it was her first night home. Damon puts the crib right next to the bed on my side and I gently put our little son in it. Sophia is sound asleep in her room. I lay down on the bed, watching Caleb sleep peacefully through the wooden spokes. Damon lays back down next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "How does it feel to be a Daddy?" I ask him in a whisper.

"Wonderful." He whispers back, his cool breath giving me goose bumps on the back of my neck. I think I could hear him smile. So I turned towards him. His dark hair as shiny as the feathers of a raven. His eyes as blue as the water in the Caribbean. His chin with the slight salt and pepper beard. His lips as soft and as pink as cotton candy. And slowly, his cotton candy lips were on mine.

His tongue entered my mouth. _God, I could do this forever. _Suddenly everything on my mind was forgotten. No Sophia, no Stefan, no Caleb. Right now, it was just me and Damon. I positioned myself on top of him, my legs spread around his waist with his hands on my hand. My hands were running their way through his soft, silky, ebony, waves. After a few minutes of that, I sit up and start to take my shirt off, exposing my black, lacy bra but Damon stops me. "Elena..." He starts.

"What?" I frown slightly.

"First of all," He points to Caleb. "And second of all, remember what the doctor said? We have to wait until your postnatal check-up in, like, six weeks." He says. Then he gently pulls me back down so I'm laying next to him.

Suddenly, I feel embarrassed. Who would've thought that _Damon_ would say no to sex? I sigh heavily and look at him. "I know, I know. It's just...I want you, Damon." I whisper, gazing at him.

"God, Elena, you're making this so hard for me." He groans. Then he kisses me passionately, sparks flying. He stops and holds my face gently with his rough hands. "Just six more weeks?"

"Just six more weeks?" I confirm.

* * *

"The wedding is in six weeks?" I ask, my eyebrows raised in shock. Anna sits at the head of our kitchen table, holding Caleb. Sophia is sitting at the table, eating a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs, the egg whites covered with specks of pepper, just how she likes it. Damon washes the dishes that he used to make Sophia her breakfast while I stand at the other head of the table, across from Anna.

"I know that Jeremy and I barely have anything planned, but my offered to do all the planning." Anna says, looking from Caleb to me. "I really love your brother, Elena. And we want to get married as soon as possible." She smiles. I smile too, even though I don't like her and wish she wouldn't marry my brother. Then again, though, Jeremy hates Damon and here I am, four days after giving birth to his child.

"That's...that's good then, if that's what you guys want, then I'm happy for you." I smile too. I better accept Anna, in just a mere six weeks she'll be part of our family. _Great_.

"Elena, Jeremy and I were wondering if you would like to be one of our bridesmaids?" Anna asks.

My face breaks out in a smile. "R-Really?" Anna nods excitedly. "Of course. I would be honored." And soon the tears start slowly rolling down both of our faces. This is a big moment for both of us, especially for Anna though. She's going to be my sister-in-law. She stands up and Damon silently takes Caleb from her. Then the both of us hug.

Then Anna turns to Sophia. "Soph?" She looks up from her breakfast on her Dora plate, her face smeared with stains of egg yolk and pieces of bacon stick on her mouth. "Would you like to be the flower girl for Uncle Jeremy's and mine wedding?"

Sophia taps her chin. "Hmm. I'll think about it!" All of us laugh at her comment.

Time to go dress shopping.

**Hoped you guys liked it! Big surprise at their wedding! Hehe. Can't wait for you guys to read it! Thank you all so much for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following. I'll try to post the next chapter ASAP!**


	19. Chapter 19

"Elena, really, I think my hair is fine." Jeremy chuckles. It's the day of the wedding and it feels like the whole town of Mystic Falls is here, just like at my wedding. This is the same room in the basement of the church where Stefan was getting ready on our wedding. Like Anna is now, I was right next store putting on my gown and trying not to ruin my makeup by crying. Jeremy's Best Man and his groomsmen, who are either college or childhood friends, and Sophia are in the room with us.

I smile, finally stopping playing with his hair, giving it the final touches. "God, Jer, I can't believe you're getting married. It feels like just yesterday you were running around in diapers and singing the Thomas the Train song..." I said. That's what my Mom would say if she were here right now. I'm taking over the motherly role just like Jeremy took over the fatherly role at my wedding.

All the groomsmen start chuckling. Jeremy shakes his head and looks at them. "Not a good day to piss off the Groom, gentlemen." But he's laughing too. He looks back at me and smiles. "Now you know how I felt when you got married." Then he pulls me into a tight hug. I hug him back, wrapping my arms around his muscular body. What happened to the little boy with the two missing front teeth? We pull away from the hug, my eyes stinging with tears. "I have to go, finish getting ready. You should go back to see Anna and the rest of the bridesmaids. I'll see you after, okay?" I nod and he kisses my cheek.

Sophia and I leave the room and go back into the girls' room. Anna is standing in front of mirror, wearing her wedding dress and she's waving her hands in front of her eyes, trying to dry away any sign of tears. The rest of the bridesmaids, all of whom I had no clue who they are, were gathered around her, smiling. I'm assuming, like Jeremy's groomsmen, they were college or childhood best friends. All of them, including me, were wearing, long, silky, night blue dresses. Sophia, as the flowergirl, was wearing a short, night blue, puffy dress. She thought she looked like a princess.

"Oh, Anna, you look gorgeous!" One of the other bridesmaids exclaimed. She was chunky, with short blond hair. I think her name was...Amber, maybe?

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Another one said.

Then, suddenly, another one of the bridesmaids enter the room. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was terrible." The girl sighs, her back turned towards us as she searched for someplace to put her purse. Her hair is the same color of mine, but it's just a bit longer than mine. It's styled in loose curls and she has tanned skin, but it wasn't fake.

Amber comes over to her and takes her bag and puts her down. Then she holds out her hand and the two girls shake. "You must be Miss Pierce." Amber smiles.

"Please, call me Katherine." Then Katherine finally turns around so I can see her. _Katherine_. Damon's ex. The one who Damon dumped so he could be with me, at least that's what I assume. I swallow hard as her catlike eyes dart towards me. She has to recognize me. She smirks at me, one hand on her hip.

Anna comes over to me and gently touches me arm. "Elena, do you know Katherine?" I nod dumbly. "That's good! I was worried you would be complete strangers with the rest of the bridesmaids. Katherine was my best friend ever since we were kids, right Kat?" Katherine nods. "Well, then, I'll make sure you two are seated next to each other at the Reception."

Anna goes back over to the front of the mirror to vainly admire her own appearance more while I'm looking at Katherine. She's smirking at me, she must hate me. I was the one who stole Damon from her. And I'm sure that if I didn't, Damon and Katherine would end up getting married and we would probably be sister-in-laws. If only I didn't sleep with Damon. "Nice lip gloss. Mind if I borrow some?" She doesn't wait for me to answer and instead, slips into my purse and pulls out my tube of Sephora lip gloss. She applies it on her lips then makes the _Mwah!_ sound. She smiles and turns around to look at me. "Damon must love this stuff."

Katherine's hot. Damon's hot. They're perfect for each other. I watch her as she twirls her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. I wonder if Damon still has feelings for her. Suddenly, I feel a lump in my throat. _I can't loose Damon._ I shake my head, blinking back the tears that are threatening to spill out at any moment. Damon wouldn't leave me for her. She's attractive enough, she probably found someone new by now.

The wedding ceremony was nice. Jeremy couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear the whole time, like a little kid who just found out that they're getting a puppy dog with big, floppy ears. Jenna and I were crying and I couldn't stop myself. Sophia was just excited to have an Aunt. After the wedding, we walk into another large ballroom connected to the church, where the Reception was being held. Damon and Caleb were already there. I held onto Sophia's hand tightly as we walked in. Sophia ran over to the table Damon and Caleb were sitting at. Jenna and Alaric were sitting with him. "Hey, Soph." Damon smiles and picks her up and sets her on his lap. Alaric is holding Caleb. "You look so pretty."

Sophia blushes. "Thank you, Damon." Then she plants a kiss on his cheek and gets up from his lap to chat with Jenna and Alaric.

Damon stands up and wraps his arms around my waist, pecking my lips quickly. "You look so pretty too." He smiles, brushing a loose curl out of my face.

I frown slightly. "Come on, Damon. Don't pretend like you didn't see her. Katherine is here." I can't help but grit my teeth. Why do I hate her so much? She did nothing except have sex with my boyfriend, her ex boyfriend.

Damon sighs, shaking his head. "Elena. Katherine is my ex. As in I don't love her, I love you." He kisses my forehead. "So stop worrying and just sit back and enjoy your little brothers wedding." I nod simply, not wanting to argue. I kiss him again, hoping Katherine sees. Then I kiss Caleb's forehead and go over the table where Jeremy, Anna, the groomsmen, the bridesmaid are sitting. The only open seat is at the end of the long, skinny table. Right next to Katherine. I keep my chin up and sit next to her.

"Is that your daughter?" Katherine nods toward Sophia. I half nod, half shrug. Katherine grins. "God, she's so cute. Looks exactly like you, you know." I don't say anything, just stay silent and stare down at my empty China plate. But Katherine speaks up again. "And who's that little boy over there?" She nods towards Caleb.

"That's mine and Damon's son." I say through gritted teeth and look up at her. Her eyebrows are raised, this must be news to her. But she simply shrugs it off, as if it didn't effect her.

_I hate her._

* * *

**Katherine's POV**

_Damon and I are sitting on the edge of a dock, our toes dipped in the clear blue water, the view of Miami at night is absolutely gorgeous. His hand is on my thigh, touching his favorite part of my body. "Miami is spectacular, Damon. Thank you so much for bringing me here." I smile at him. He looks at me, his blue eyes reflecting off the bright lights of the city._

_He smiles too. "Well, I know you're a beach bum. I don't think that there's any place better than Miami to celebrate our one year anniversary." His hand slowly rubs my thigh, making me want him more than I already do. _

_How did I ever get so lucky to meet such an amazing man like Damon? About one year and one month ago, both of us were in the hustle and bustle city we know as Chicago. It was my first time ever there, visiting an friend. I stood at the sidewalk, looking up at the Willis Tower, wondering how someone could build such a magnificent piece of structure. When suddenly someone bumps into me. He thought I was some girl named Elena. I told him I wasn't, that my name was Katherine. He said that he was late for a meeting, but that he must've been distracted by my beauty which caused him to accidently bump into me. I laugh and then he scribbled out his number on a scrap piece of paper. Later that week, on my last day in Chicago, we met up at a Starbucks. We chit chatted about our lives. I told him that I was born in California, currently living in Pennsylvania, and was just visiting my best friend in the city for a week. He told me that he was born in a tiny town in Virginia, currently living in New York, and was here in the city for work. _

_Since then, in just a matter of a year, I moved in with him in New York City. I've been in plenty of relationships before and Damon has too, but this one was different and we both agreed. We both never felt so much love, so much passion, so much desire in a single relationship before. He's in love with me and I'm in love with him. Our friends told us that we were made for each other. Every time I close my eyes, I picture our chubby little child running around our tiny New York apartment and Damon laughing as he put our son on his shoulder on a brisk walk in Central Park. I could see us growing old together, never stop loving each other for the rest of our lives. I can picture our first fight as a married couple where I storm out of our apartment and onto the busy sidewalk, but he grabs me by my waist and pulls me in for a long hard kiss and we have the most passionate make up sex you could ever imagine. _

_"Come on," Damon stands up and I hold onto his hand as he pulls me up with him. "I got reservations at the fanciest restaurant downtown. Expensive, I might add. But only the best for my girl." He kisses my forehead._

_I smile at him. "Thank you, Damon. But honestly, I'm afraid you outdid yourself. You really don't have to do all of this for me."_

_And suddenly, he's down on one knee holding out a jewelry box. I swallow hard, wondering if I'm dreaming or if this is reality. "Katherine Audrey Pierce, I love you more than I have loved any woman that I ever laid eyes on. I didn't even know I was capable of loving someone as much as I love you. But you showed me that it was okay to love. You brought out the very best in me. I could never stop loving you, that's a promise. Katherine, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the amazing deed of marrying me?"_

_"Yes!" I practically shout. I'm too excited to even think about the ring. I kiss him passionately. I could stay like this forever. I will never let go of my Damon._

**So Katherine was the big surprise! What's this going to mean for Elena and Damon? Uh oh! I'm sensing some major drama on the way. Thank you all SOOO much for reading! Almost to 200 reviews, guys! As long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing! Love you all! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Katherine's POV**

When I got a text message from a blocked number at noon on Sunday, I knew it could only be for one person. I drove to the bar in Grove Hill, exactly like the text commanded me to do. The bar looked cheap, and barely any cars in the parking lot. Then again, it's noon and only the really troubled guys drink at noon. So, I walked into the bar, wearing my expensive leather jacket and I somehow convinced a guy to buy me a few months ago, a black lace tank top that shows off the perfect amount of cleavage, skinny jeans, and a pair of my favorite black high heels. I smirked as soon as I spotted him, sitting at the bar with his own leather jacket and a small glass of bourbon in front of him. I walked over to him, my heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

"Hey, Hubby." I sit down at the bar stool next to him. I reach out to grab his bourbon, but he grabs my wrist, gives me the glare that says, _Oh, I don't think so._ I frown, pulling my hand back and I look up at the bartender. "One bourbon, please. Highest proof you got." The bartender nods and scurries over to get my drink. She's young, probably just about 23. Ha. I must be intimidating to her.

"Glad to see you haven't changed much: you can still drink like a man, but still the sexist women I know." Damon says. He takes another swig of his bourbon. The bartender arrives back with my bourbon, I thank her and take a sip of it. It's probably around 100 proof. Good, good.

"You haven't changed much either. Hotter, sexier, if anything. Oh, and a tad bit more drabbier. Guess that's from spending so much time with that boring, innocent, little Elena." I rest my hand on his nice, slowly moving up his knee, one skinny finger in front of another, slowly. This must be driving Damon crazy. He pushes my hand away, glaring at me again. I shrug casually and take another sip of my bourbon. "Why did you ask to meet me here anyway? Having girlfriend problems? What, doesn't she want your dick?" I giggle. "Newsflash: I do!"

Damon rolls his eyes. Then he looks at me, with his intense gaze that gives me the urge to throw him down on the bar table and allow him to thrust into me. But I can't. That lousy bartender would probably have a panic attack. "What do you think we're going to do tonight, Katherine?" He says harshly. He's doing this to try to make me more jealous. Elena isn't right for him. I am. We both know it. "I asked you to meet me here because...Kat, I swear to God, if you say anything to Elena about our marriage, I will personality slit your throat and watch as you die."

I grit my teeth. Two months later he proposed to me in Miami, we were married. It wasn't a large ceremony, since neither of us had family to attend and we just had a few close friends we wanted there. It was a simple ceremony on the beaches of the Caribbean. Romantic, though, of course. But the sex was even more romantic that night. We spent a whole five months in the Caribbean before we returned to New York City. And everything was going perfectly until Damon decided to wanted to return to his hometown. We were there a few weeks before he finally appeared to Stefan and Elena. And during that few weeks, I had some fun while Damon was away.

"Come on, Damon. Don't act like you don't feel anything for me. We both know that you do." I say, taking a sip of my bourbon. "And you might say that you don't, but you always will. Just leave her, Damon. She's a Mom, she has responsibilities. That's not the lifestyle you want. You want the lifestyle where you can be in Paris one night and Rio the next. That's the time of lifestyle you can have with me. Seriously, Damon. Be selfish. Forget about Elena and your kid. Come back to me."

Damon shakes his head. "Katherine...I-I know you were having an affair. So, no, I just can't forgive you. You tell me all that crap about loving me, but if you really did, you wouldn't have gone off and slept with some other guy!" His voice raises, but he better keep it down. Besides Jane-the-innocent-bartender, there were a few guys playing pool in the corner and another old man drinking alone.

"How did you know..?" I ask, quietly.

He shrugs. "It wasn't a difficult guess. All those late night phone calls, saying that you ran into an old friend and that you two were going to a bar together, that you won't be back until morning. I'm not stupid, Katherine." Then he goes silent. "Who?"

I give a little shrug, not answering.

He sighs heavily and stands up, walking out of the bar. I follow him. "I'm getting a lawyer. We'll finally get this divorced finalized." He looks at me. "Goodbye, Katherine." Then he gets in his car and drives away. Just like that. Leaving me alone in the parking lot.

**Damon's POV**

The bar disappears from the review mirror, Katherine along with it. _God, she's gorgeous._ She's my wife. I shake my head, angry with her for no reason at all. I'm not even mad about her affair. I was being a crappy husband at that time, I was too concerned with Elena. But then I think about our honeymoon, those lazy afternoons on the beach. Just us two. And then the loud nightlife at all the bars and clubs. And I think that maybe that is the lifestyle that I need, not the soccer Dad who helps out with math homework.

I love Caleb and Elena and even Sophia, whether she is my biological daughter or not. But Katherine's offer just sounds all too tempting. I can't even remembering the last time I went out to a club or a packed bar. And I'm craving that lifestyle back.

**Elena's POV**

At 8 o'clock on the dot, Sophia is sleeping soundly in her bedroom. I go back into our bedroom, where Damon is laying down on the couch, reading _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare. I raise an eyebrow at him as I lay down next to him. "Do I have to ask why the hell you're reading _Romeo and Juliet_?"

Damon shrugs. "Thought I'd give it a shot. And I have to say, I'm really liking this Romeo guy." Then he puts the book back down on the nightstand and kisses me. "It's been six weeks, Elena." He murmurs against my cheek.

I smile, whispering back, "I know." Then Damon pulls off his shirt and his lips come crashing back to mine again. Every time we kissed in the past few months, I've been craving this. I've been wanting the feeling of him inside me, moving quickly, making passionate love to me. He pulls off my shirt then, his hands cupping my breasts then he yanks off my bra, sucking on my nipples. I've been missing out in this way too long. He kisses move down, down my stomach until he finally gets to my pants. He pulls off my jeans, quickly followed by my panties. He props himself up on his knees and unzips his jeans and pushes them down so they bunch around his knees. He does the same for his underwear. By now, I'm like a waterfall. He's just about to enter when we hear the unmistakable cry of Caleb's.

I sigh heavily and stand up. Mom duty before girlfriend duty. Always. I grab his shirt that was on the floor and put that on, which comes down to my mid thigh. I go into Caleb's room and gently pick him up from his crib, sit down on the rocking chair in his room, and begin rocking him, trying to get him to fall asleep. He stops crying, but doesn't fall back asleep. And he has the nastiest habit of where I have to rock him to sleep, then put him in his crib. I can never just lay him in his crib and he'll fall asleep on his own.

Damon comes in a few minutes later, wearing his just his jeans. He kisses the top of my head. "How is he?" He asks, referring to Caleb.

I shrug. "He won't go back to sleep."

30 minutes later, he finally does. I lay Caleb gently back in his crib then Damon and I go back into our bedroom. I lay down on the bed, yawning. Damon looks at me. "Are you ready to continue where we left off?" He asks.

"I'm tired, Damon." I yawn again, resting my head on the pillow. Damon frowns and lays next to me, gently massaging my back. "Sorry," I mumbled, already starting to drift off.

"Tomorrow night, then, right?"

I'm already asleep so I can't answer him.

What feels like a few minutes later, but has to been hours later since it's 3 AM, I wake up to hear Caleb crying. I go back into his room and pick him up and rock him. Back and forth, back and forth, slowly. Still, he continues crying. "Damon!" I call out. I'm exhausted and frustrated. He doesn't come in. "Damon!" I call out again, louder.

A couple of seconds later, he comes in. "What?" He yawns, rubbing his eyes. He looks as exhausted as I do.

"Can you please help me?!" I practically shout at him.

He sighs heavily and takes Caleb from me, gently trying to rock him to sleep. Minutes pass, and Caleb still doesn't stop crying. Damon and I are getting more and more frustrated with each other. I try making a bottle for Caleb, but it's clear that he isn't hungry. We check his diaper. Nope, nothing. The cries continue and Damon and I are becoming more and more exhausted. "I have things I have to do tomorrow, can you just try to calm him down while I go back to sleep?" Damon asks.

I stare at him in shock. "Did you really just say that?"

"It's not like I'm much of a help anyway." Damon shrugs.

We argue more. Damon thinks that he actually has a right to just leave me with crying Caleb so he can go back off to dream land. As we argue more and more, we're both becoming more frustrated. That's until Damon just finally leaves, walks out of he house. Just like that.

**Damon's POV**

I get in the car and start driving, I don't know where. I just do. I'm exhausted, frustrated with Elena, and sexually frustrated. Katherine was right. This isn't the lifestyle I want. I want to be able to have sex with any girl I want when and wherever I want without having a baby interrupt us. Elena will be fine with Caleb, he'll calm down eventually. I just can't deal with all this stress anymore. The stress to be a good boyfriend, and a good father to two little kids, one who isn't even mine. This isn't the life that I should be living. There's only one person that will give me the life I should be living. Katherine.

**Thank you guys so much for reading. The end of the chapter is sucky, but I left off with another cliffhanger! Please review, I love it when I get more reviews! Past 200 now, woohoo! Thank you all SO much!**


	21. Chapter 21

I stand in the middle of Caleb's nursery, with it's light blue walls and dark brown hardwood floors, all alone. Caleb's cries still wail throughout the house, driving me crazy. Then Sophia comes in the room, her little feet going _patpatpat _against the hardwood floor. She rubs her doe brown chocolate eyes and looks up at me. "Mommy, Caleb woke up me!" She pouts.

I sigh heavily and put Caleb down in his crib then kneel down next to her. "I know, princess. I know." I pull her little body into a tight hug, kissing her forehead. "I'm having a tough time with Caleb now. How about you go downstairs and sleep on the couch tonight?" She nods sleepily and I smile softly at her. Thankful that I have an understanding daughter. I wonder what she'll be like when she's a teenager. _Let's not think about that right now,_ I think to myself, _You have more important problems to deal with_.

After Sophia trudges down the steps and curls up on the brown leather couch, I leave Caleb crying and go into my bedroom and grab my cellphone off the nightstand next to me. I quickly dial Damon's number, praying that he'll pick up. But instead, all I get is his voice mail: _Hey, this is Damon Salvatore. You know what do to_, and then the obnoxious female voice that says, _At the tone, please leave a message_, then _BEEEEEEP!._ I sigh heavily and try calling him again. Oh, that's right, Damon Salvatore is going to get a piece of my mind. But instead, it goes straight to voicemail. That bastard turned off his phone. Between Caleb's crying, my absent boyfriend, and poor Sophia who can barely get a wink of sleep, I start crying too. Yes, I'm just as frustrated and tired as Damon was, but that still doesn't enable me to run off like that.

No, I can't feel sorry for myself. So, instead, I force myself up and go back into Caleb's room. I pick him up from his crib and then sit down on the rocker, cradling him in my arms. "Want me to sing you a song?" I say, even though he doesn't understand. I take his constant cries as a yes. "My Mom, your Grammy, used to sing this to me all the time when I was a little. And at the end, she would always tell me that she loves me. And I would respond, 'I love you more.'" Then, I start singing softly,

"_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine._

_You make me happy,_

_When the skies are grey._

_You'll never know dear,_

_How much I love you._

_So please don't take, _

_My sunshine,_

_Away."_

It's like magic. Caleb suddenly stops crying and he's looking up at me with his crystal clear blue eyes just like his father's. I smile softly and continue rocking Caleb until he, slowly, drifts back off to sleep. I sigh with relief as I put him back down in his crib, careful not to wake him. Then, I quietly tiptoe back into my bedroom, lay down on the comfy bed and pull the thick duvet over me. I take my phone from the nightstand again and call Damon. He has to pick up sooner or later. His phone is turned on this time. But instead of ringing, all it goes is _beep beep_ beep. He's talking with someone else on the phone...

The next day, Caroline decides it's time for a visit. If there was any day that I wouldn't want Caroline to visit, it would be today since Damon is gone. But I smile and pretend like I'm perfectly fine. Sophia is excited to see her. And Caleb has an instant connection with Caroline. And Caroline is in complete awe of them. Sophia, from her lack of sleep the previous night and playing all morning with Caroline, dozes off right before I'm about to make lunch. Caroline, Caleb, and I are in the kitchen. Caleb is in his little, automatic swing that sings a soft lullaby and rocks him. I'm making lunch when Caroline finally speaks up. "Where's Damon?" She asks.

I sigh heavily. I could lie to her, tell her that Damon is off shopping or some pathetic excuse like that. But if there's anything I learned in the past few months, it's to stop lying. So, I decided to tell her the truth. "Last night...we got into some argument and he left." I say simply. In a utopian world, Caroline wouldn't ask any question. But since we're living in the pre-_Brave New World_ world, where everything is a complete disaster, of course she has to ask.

"He left?" Caroline raises one of her perfectly plucked fair haired eyebrow. "What were you two arguing about?" She snatches a grape from the bowl on the counter and pops it in her mouth. It's so juicy that I was hear it explode inside her mouth. The juicy grape, just like my life. Except my life is juicy with secrets and lies and betrayal.

I chew my lip, considering another lie. But then I remember the hurt expression on Stefan's face when I admitted to him that I slept with his brother, whom he hates. Even though this would be little lie compared that that big lie, I decide not to. After all, I'm working on the new Elena: she's lie-free. "Caleb was crying and being all fussy. We spent a while trying to calm him down. Damon was frustrated and exhausted...so he just ended up leaving."

Caroline frowns. I expect her to say, "I told you so!" But she doesn't. And I can tell that it's hard for her not to. The only thing Caroline loves more than bragging and gossip, is proving to people that she's right. "Oh, Elena." And suddenly we're hugging. "Did you try calling him or texting him or something?"

I pull away from the awkward friend hug and nod my head. "Of course I did, Care. And he wouldn't answer." I shrug, pretending like it's nothing. But, really, all I want is for Damon to walk through that door with a bouquet of roses and a long speech stuffed with about how sorry he is. Then again, maybe it really is nothing. He left because he was gently angry. So what? Damon isn't that type of person to stay around a situation when he's about ready to blow. He'll be back soon.

Suddenly, the door bell rings. For an instant I think it's Damon, coming to beg for my forgiveness, like a prince in Medieval Times would do. But then I realize that when Damon comes, it's not going to ring the doorbell. He's just going to come right in because this is his house too. I leave Caroline and Caleb in the kitchen and go to the foyer and pull open the door. Stefan is standing there. "Hey. Where's Soph?" He asks.

I grunt. "Oh my God. I completely forget you were coming early today." I mentally slap myself on the forehead. "She's sleeping. And I don't want to wake her up, she didn't sleep too well last night." Then I step aside, letting him come in.

"Why did she get enough sleep last night? Is she sick or something?" He asks as we walk into the kitchen together. He sounds like the concerned father figure that he is, using a tone that I could never imagine Damon using.

"No. She's fine." Then I take a deep breath. "Caleb was fussy last night, kept all three of us up last night." I say as soon as we enter the kitchen. Caroline is leaning against the counter and she perks up suddenly when she sees Stefan and I next to each other. Then a wide grin spreads across her face. Of course, she's still Team Stefan. Even if she doesn't say it anymore, she still absolutely hates Damon and must only hate him more after him ditching me and Caleb and Sophia last night.

Stefan frowns. "Speaking of my brother, where is he?" Stefan asks, looking around for any sign of his brother.

I open my mouth to speak, but Caroline interrupts me. "Your asshole of a brother left your ex-wife during the night while their baby son was crying without helping her, calming that he was too frustrated and tired." Caroline sums it all up in one sentence. I glare at her, then look back at Stefan. His eyebrows raise and he shakes his head. I know he's thinking the same thing. _I told you so_.

"Well, then..." Stefan says, his voice trailing off.

An hour later, after the three of us sitting around our counter, snacking on grapes and chatting around cups of tea. Sophia wakes up. I get her dressed and help her pack her things for the few days at Stefan's. Stefan carries Sophia out to the car and I carry her little bag with him. He puts Sophia in the car seat, her Dora the Explorer bag in the seat next to her, shuts the door, and looks at me. "Elena...Damon is Damon. He can never stay in one place too long..."

I shake my head. "He'll come back, I know it. He can just ditch me and Caleb." I say with full confidence. I think I can hear Stefan wince a little bit. Suddenly, my hand is in his and he's staring at me with his dashing green eyes.

"If you need anything, Elena, I'm only a phone call away." He says softly, sincerely.

I nod slowly. "I know."

Then we're hugging. His arms wrapped around my body, my arms wrapped around his neck. Just like old times. I squeeze my eyes shut, for a moment imagining that we were a family again. That him and Sophia were just going shopping for a bit while I stay home with our son. And when they arrive home, I'll have a nice, hearty meal on the table and then, at night, Stefan and I will make sweet, passionate love. But then I shake that thought away. That isn't my life anymore.

"Goodbye, Elena." He pecks my cheek then gets in his car and drives away.

I touch my cheek, memorizing the smooth touch of his lips upon my skin. _I'm with Damon_. I remind myself._ I'm in love with Damon_. And I am, I really am. I go back inside the house where Caroline has her arms crossed, smiling like an idiot. "So..." She starts. "A kiss on the cheek, huh?"

I roll my eyes. "What? You're spying on me now?"

Caroline chuckles and steps closer to me. "Elena, come on, you literally broke Stefan's heart then smashed it. But he's still coming back to you. Damon leaves at the drop of a hat whenever he gets too stressed. Who's the better brother here, Elena?"

"I'm with Damon!" I snap at her.

Caroline sighs, defeated. "I know." Then she pauses. "At least...just see where I'm coming from? I hate seeing you hurt, and you're hurt right now. I can see through that fake smile. If Damon leaves over a little argument, what's going to happen when you two get into a serious fight?"

I don't respond. I'm too consumed with my thoughts.

By the time Caroline leaves and I put Caleb to bed, it's nearly 11 o'clock at night. No sign of Damon yet, but I'm sure he'll come tomorrow. He just needed a day off Daddyhood. That's completely okay, right? I mean, changing from the Bachelor-Christian-Grey-Who-Parties-Every-Night guy he used to be to turn into full Daddy mood and on top of that, being an amazing boyfriend to his brother's ex-wife who already has a daughter has to be hard right?

I'm cleaning up the kitchen, washing and putting away the dishes when I hear the doorbell ring. I grumble. Who the hell would be ringing the doorbell at 11 PM? I go into the foyer and open the door.

Damon is standing there.

And he rang the doorbell.

**I LOVE ALL THE COMMENTS! What I find so funny is how a few chapters back, everyone was like "Elena is such a slut. I hate Elena." and now, it's all, "Aw! I feel so bad for Elena! Why Damon?!"**

**Sad news: this story is coming to an end. Only a few more chapters then I'm calling it quits for this story. It's pretty sad considering I love this story so much. Who knows, though. Maybe in the future I'll do a sequel. Ooh! That'd be fun! **

**Anyway, thank you all so, so much for reading and reviewing. **

**Check out bukibuki's stories! (She's on my favorite's author's list)**


	22. Chapter 22

"Damon." I swallow hard, looking at the man that I'm head over heels for. But something tells me that he doesn't feel the same way anymore, if he ever even did. "Hi," I say quietly. He just nods, then motions for me to come outside on the front porch. I want to tell him no. That he should come inside and we could curl up in bed together, make love, then go back to our daily routine. But I don't.

We stand there for a few moments, looking at each other. He looks sad. I feel like I'm going to burst into tears at any moment. And suddenly I'm back in 8th grade year when Matt and I ended things. We were standing right here on this porch. And I remember how Jeremy was peeking through the windows, watching us since he was an obnoxious little sixth grader that year. Later, Jeremy would always joke about how Matt cried like a baby. But I always felt bad for Matt because when he said, "You're breaking up with me?" like it was something impossible. As impossible as pigs being able to fly.

"Elena..." Damon starts after staying silent for a while.

But I grit my teeth. One thing my Mother always told me was to never cry in front of somehow if they were breaking up with you. No one ever broke up with me before, I always broke up with them. Most of them were childish middle school relationship, like Matt's. Stefan and I were much more serious in high school, but he didn't break up with me. Ever. The only time we were ever separated was when we got our divorced. And that isn't technically breaking up. So, I try my best to keep my voice steady and hold back my tears. "Where were you?"

Damon sighs heavily. "With Katherine." He responds.

"Why?" I let my voice crack.

He pauses then he begins his speech that I know he was planning in his head since he left. "We aren't right for each other, Elena. Let's face it. Sure, it was great at first. Amazing at first. But...then...we drifted. You're a mother, Elena. You're a perfect Mom. Sophia and Cale love you so much. But, this," He gestures around him, specially at the house. "isn't the life that _I_ want. I'm a quitter, Elena. When I get sick of something, I leave without looking back. And it's better, isn't? It's better for me to be with Katherine, who lives the same life that I want to live, that I used to live. And it's better for you to find a guy - Stefan, even - that will take care of you and Sophia and Caleb."

That's the worst kind of hopelessness. The kind where you want to do something to fix your relationship but then realize that there's nothing you can do about. So then you end up breaking up. and then the sun comes up the next morning and the butterflies fly around but everything looks different because then you realize you are alone again. This cycle continues throughout your whole life, even when you're married because all relationships end.

"Wh-What about Caleb? Huh? Are you just going to ditch him?" I say, my voice breaking more with every word. I'm surprised I'm not a sobbing heap on the ground yet.

"It's better to have no father around then to have a neglectful father." Damon says. My lower lip trembles and I think I'm going to faint. Maybe that would be a good thing, though. Then Damon would have to save me and hold me and then we'll fall in love all over again.

Suddenly, I'm angry. _Damn him!_ Damn that man that I left my husband for so we could be together. My whole life fell apart because of his man and I thought that he could be the only one that could pull it back together. But I was wrong. "Go to hell, Damon!" I shout at him and begin hitting and punching his chest. I'm not strong so it doesn't phase him in the slightest. He lets me do it, letting me get all his angry out. "Go to hell with your skanky, slutty, girlfriend - Katherine!" I scream, not caring if I wake up every soul in the neighborhood.

"Wife, actually." He corrects me.

I stop, looking up at him, my eyes wide. Is it possible to feel your heart breaking? Because I swear that I can feel it. "Wife?" My voice croaks. "You and Katherine are..._married_?" I raise my eyebrows at him, my anger dissolving into sadness, hopelessness. Damon, the man who was never really mine.

Damon nods slowly. "I'm sorry, Elena. I wanted to tell you, I did. But I just...couldn't." He says. Then I start crying because I just can't help it. And I don't care if he sees me bawling my eyes out over him. Maybe he'll want to take me back when he sees how much pain I'm in.

But he doesn't. He just looks at me. For a moment I think that he is going to lean in and kiss me or hug me or something. But he just walks away, down the porch, and into his light blue car and drives off into the night. I watch him leave. He's gone.

There's nothing else I could do besides go back inside the try to pull myself together. As soon as I get inside the safety of my house, I sink down to the ground, my back against the door, and I start sobbing hysterically. It's an actual pain I could feel in my chest where my heart should be. It literally feels like my heart is breaking. I never felt so lonely before, not even when my parents died. When my parents died, I had Stefan. And then when Stefan and I divorced, I had Damon. Now, I have no one. This is a different pain then when my parents died. When they died, the pain was unbearable. Now, the pain is worse and I didn't even know that was possible.

How could Katherine and him even be married? They showed no hints of it. Even when they first arrived in town and came to Sophia's birthday party, he introduced her as his girlfriend. I think back: if Damon told me from the beginning that he was married to Katherine, would I be mad? No. As long as he promised that he doesn't love her anymore, that I'm the only women he loves. But I guess he didn't because then he wouldn't have ran back into the arms of Katherine.

I sniffle and after a few minutes, I stand up and wipe my tears, looking around the empty house.

_I'm alone._

* * *

Two days later, I never left the house. I kept to myself, taking care of Caleb and crying at night when Caleb isn't there to witness it. I accepted a few phone calls; three from Caroline, one from Bonnie, and two from Jenna. Otherwise I don't answer the phone. My eating habits lately wouldn't suffice for the normal person - a banana a day and possibly a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. It isn't enough of what I should be eating, but at least it's something. At least I'm not in so much emotional pain that I can't eat at all.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself!_ I'm not the only person in the world who has suffered through heartbreak. I'm not the only person in the world whose boyfriend and father of their child left them for a women that looks similar to themselves.

Around noon, Jenna stops by. I practically fling myself in her arms so hard that she stumbles back a little. Oh, Jenna. She's like a piece of my childhood, so innocent and obviously gone. I close my eyes as I hugged her, wishing I could be back in the days where life was simple and pain was a foreign concept. The only type of pain you knew was when you scrapped your knee against the sidewalk.

"How's Alaric?" I asked her as we walked into the kitchen together. Caleb was in his little swing, sleeping soundly. Jenna sets her beige purse down on the counter and knees down next to my sleeping son, gently poking his tiny nose. She smiles and looks over at me.

"He's good." She nods then stands up and comes closer to me. I hope she won't say anything about Damon. I'm afraid that if I'm forced to say his name aloud that I'll start crying and won't be able to stop. But she doesn't, she just leans against the counter. "Where's Soph?" She asks.

"With Stefan." I answer, pouring myself and her a cup of iced tea.

Her eyebrows raise and if I'm not mistaken, a smile grows on her face. "Oh." She pauses as I slide her cup of iced tea across the granite counter and she grabs it with her hand and pulls it up to her mouth, taking a sip of the light brown mixture. "Does he know about...you know?"

I shake my head. "Nope." Then I take a sip of my iced tea. She gives me a funny expression. I frown, knowing where this conversation will end up. I can read it in Jenna's eyes. "Jenna. Stefan and I are over, whether or not Damon and I are together or not." I shake my head, hoping this will end this conversation.

Jenna sighs. "Elena, don't you get it? I'm just trying to look out for you. You can't tell me that you forgot how you were so happy with Stefan. Things _could_ go back to the way they were. Stefan will take you back in heartbeat, Elena. Call me cheesy, but I never seen a man look at a women the way Stefan looks at you."

Then, as if on cue, we hear the front door open and Stefan's voice calls out. "Elena?" He's here to drop off Sophia.

* * *

**Damon's POV **(On the night he left Elena.)

I drove my car to an alley way, only a couple of blocks from Elena's house. There was no way I could this anymore. You only live once, right? What's the point of living miserably when you only live around eighty or so years? Elena will be fine. She has Stefan and Caroline and Jenna and Rick and Jeremy. She won't be alone. I pull out my phone and dial Katherine's number.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that I was right." Katherine says, her voice smooth and sexy, as soon as she answers.

"Where are you?" I ask, taking a long gulp of bourbon from the container that I left in the car. I'm going to need it.

"The cutest, little bed and breakfast at the end of town." She responds. It has to be Mrs. Flowers'. My father knew her. I hang up the phone, toss it carelessly onto the passenger seat and speed off towards the bed and breakfast. A few minutes later, Katherine sends me a text saying - **Room 3**. In less than five minutes, I'm at the bed and breakfast. I go inside and up to room 3.

When I open the door, I'm greeted by a erection worthy sight. Katherine is standing there, wearing nothing except a lacy red bra with matching panties. Her long hair is curled in loose curls, that reach her mid back. Her skin is so tan and so smooth that I just want to kiss all off it. I shut the door and step closer to her. She looks up at me, smirking with her red lips. "Finally."

Our lips are smashed against each other's in a matter of two seconds. We keep kissing until a few moments later, I shove her roughly down on the bed and lay on top of her, kissing her neck. "Damon," She moans into my shoulder. I wrap my legs around her waist and pull off my shirt, tossing it to the ground. Then I yank off her bra and kiss her again, cupping her breast. I really don't care about the foreplay right now, I just want the actually sex part. So, I sit up and pull off my pants and underwear. I rip off her panties, literally causing them to rip.

Then we get to the good part.

**IMPORTANT: Only like two more chapters to go. All I ask of you guys is to read until the end. The story isn't over yet!**

**As for my next story, I said that I was leaning towards a THG/TVD crossover but lately I've been getting this idea of another Delena story. And I promise that this one doesn't have the Stelena dynamic to it! That story, though, is going to take a lot of planning because instead of doing flashbacks like I did with this story, I'm going to have a "Then" and "Now" thing going on. So it's basically two stories, past and present, in one.**

**Another question for any of the my fellow readers - did anyone read the Match series? I'm on the first book, about 200 pages in, and I think I was too hyped up for the book. I was excepting something as good as The Hunger Games and there still isn't a lot of action yet. I might be going to the bookstore tomorrow, so should I pick up the second book to the series?**

**Plus, is there any other dystopian, post-apocalyptic books, preferably a series, that I should read? Should I read The City of Bones? Ugh! So many books and so little time!**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Love you all! **


	23. Chapter 23

"Mommy!" Sophia runs into my arms, Stefan following closely behind her. I wrap Sophia tightly in my arms, kissing her head. Sometimes, the only thing that could cheer a Mom up is the excited squeal of their child and their child's little arms wrapped around their body. I look at Sophia, long and hard. She looks older, taller. She's growing up so fast. It feels like just yesterday that she was the size of Caleb.

"Hey, Soph. Did you have fun at Daddy's?" I ask her. I lick my finger and wipe a dirt smudge off her cheek. She was probably outside playing before she came here. Sophia nods to substitute for a verbal answer. I give her a small smile. "Guess who's in the kitchen?"

"Who?" Her eyes widen, curiously. Sophia was always a people person. Something she got from Stefan.

At the moment, Jenna comes into the foyer. She squats down, spreading her arms wide. "Sophia!" Jenna smiles as Sophia runs into her arms, hugging her close. I look up at Stefan, who is watching Jenna and Sophia intently then suddenly, his eyes dart to me. I give him the look, the one that says, _We need to talk_. He returns the look.

"We'll be right back." I say to Jenna then quickly turn towards the door. I don't want to see her smile because she's rooting for us to get back together. By nature, my palms get sweaty and my heart starts to race. Why the hell am I so nervous? I close my eyes for a second, remembering how nervous I was when I called Damon, asking him if he wanted to attend my first doctor appointment when I was pregnant with Caleb. God. That seems like a lifetime ago.

Stefan and I go out to the porch and my feet stand in the same spot where I stood when Damon and I broke up. If my heart could wince, it would right now. I swallow hard and look into the eyes of my ex-husband. Are we really that good together that everyone we know wants us to end up together? Is it because we could harmlessly joke around with each other? Or because we shared a love so passionate and intense that it was like a fairytale. But fairytales are just that - fairytales. People these days really need to know the different between fairytales and reality. Because, right now, this is reality: Stefan and I standing together on the front porch that contained too many memories.

Stefan clears his throat. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That thing you do with your feet. You do it when you're nervous." I never even noticed until that very moment that I keep switching my weight back and forth from my heels to toes. Heels to toes. Heels to toes. So I sigh and sit down on the front porch steps, and pull my knees up to my chest. I'm surprised I can do that, after having two children. Then again, my Mother had two children and had the figure of a model. Stefan sits down next to me, a little too close than he should be. But I don't say anything.

_Is Stefan the one for me?_

"Damon and I broke up." I blurt out, looking down at my knees and fumbling with my fingers. I'm afraid that he'll pick up on the other nervous habit of mine, so I stop, tucking my hands in the space between my thighs and back of my shins.

"Why?" He asks, his thick eyebrows coming together in confusion. If I'm not mistaken, I could hear a dash of relief in his voice. Maybe I'm imaging things.

I sigh, not wanting to explain things to him. If anyone has the right to taunt me, saying that they told me so, it's him. "Let's just say...Damon wasn't too happy about the idea of being tied down and being a serious boyfriend and father and...step-boyfriend." I say. Step-boyfriend? Well, that's a new word. I pull one my hands out from between my legs and push a piece of my soft hair behind my ear. When he doesn't respond for a few seconds, I look up at him.

"I'm sorry," He says simply. Then pauses. "Elena...this could still work, you know. Us." He motions to the tiny space between us. "You can't be honest and say that we don't have chemistry. Because he do, _Lena_. We were married, for years. I'm still in love with you. Don't you get it? Damon ditching his damn responabilites like he always does is a sign that we should be together. This is fate talking! It won't only benefit us, it'll benefit Sophia too. And Caleb. If Damon isn't here, he'll grow up without a father. Every boy needs a father. I can be Caleb's father. Things will go back to normal. We were both at faults, but things could back to the way everything was. Please. Give it a chance." He says, and I know that he's been preparing this speech for a long time.

But instead of addressing most of what he said, I ask, "What do you mean we were both at faults? I was the one who cheated. I was the one who _fell in love_ with someone else. I was the one who got pregnant from a little affair."

He sighs, shifting uncomfortably on the tiny porch step. "Remember...back when, I had that murder case from Richmond? I guess that was around the time you slept with Damon." He says Damon's like a hiss. But I don't comment on that, I just nod so that he'll continue. He's got be hooked. "You weren't the only one sleeping around." Stefan looks away from me quickly, embarrassed.

I swallow hard. There is no way I could possibly be anger with him, not after all the hell that I put him through. "Who?" I say, my voice croaking, even though I wanted it to come out smooth and strong.

He chuckles without humor. "A little, naughty women named Katherine Pierce. She was a witness to the scene, she was shopping in Richmond when the stabbing took place. Said she saw the man fall and watched him take his final breath. Quite traumatic, I suppose, but she seemed fine. Of course I knew it was my brother's girlfriend, we even talked about him. Once in a while we talked about Sophia, but she was good to stay clear of your name. Then...one night, it just happened." Stefan shrugs. My chest tightens. I wonder if Damon knows about their little affair? And I really, really wish I could get mad at Stefan, but I can't. That only angers me more.

"That's Katherine for you," I grit my teeth. "she gets under your skin and you just can't shake it." I don't know if who I'm angry with more: Damon, Stefan, or Katherine.

Stefan scoffs, as if it's obvious. "Tell me about it." He mumbles, then looks up at me. "There. We both made mistakes, but I'm willing to fix mine. Are you willing to fix yours?" He says, grazing my hand lightly until he's holding it. I glance down at our entwining hands then back up at him.

"Stefan..."

Then our lips are together. I taste the flavor that I've tasted so many times. The taste of his lips. Something sweet, maybe even a little sour, like lemons. Slowly, his hands crawl up until they're stroking my jawline. At that exact moment is the moment when suddenly everything makes sense. Every confused thought or feeling I had in the past year or so becomes so easy to clear up.

_Stefan and I aren't meant to be._

So, I pull away from the unfinished kiss and Stefan looks at me, sadness in his emerald green eyes. "I'm sorry." Is all I can say. He just nods. I clear my throat. "Stefan, you and I, we have history together. You were my first love, my first husband, the father of my first child. And I love you, I do. Just not in the way that boyfriends and girlfriends or husbands and wives do. I love you like the father of my child. You were there for me, through thick and thin. I still care about you, I always will. But it's time to move on, Stefan. Love fades."

_Mine and Damon's love faded._

I wince quietly, too quiet for Stefan's ears to pick up on. "I got it, Elena." He mumbles, looking defeated. He goes to stand up but hesitates, then quickly kisses my cheek bone. I let him. It's the last bit of affection we'll ever have. He won't have any trouble finding someone new. He's easy to love, he's strong, protective, smart, loving. All the qualities of what girls look for in men nowadays. Wordlessly, Stefan leaves.

I don't bother explaining everything to Jenna once I go inside. She'll figure everything out on her own. An hour later, Jenna leaves. Then it's just me and the two people that I am certain that love me in return. I try to be the best Mom I could be that night, making up for the absence of both of their fathers. I cook Sophia's favorite meal - chicken fingers and French fries. I feed Caleb his favorite baby food - Hawaiian Delight, which is a mixture of citrus fruits. I wash them both, then let Sophia stay up an extra hour to watch some Disney Princess movie while I lay on the couch with Caleb, who ends up falling asleep on my chest. After the movie is over, I take both of my kids up to bed, set Caleb down in his crib then go into Sophia's room with her. I tuck her in and read her the story about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

"Mommy," She asks when it's over. "when will my Prince come?" I'm amazed at how someone could be so innocent, so gentle, at how I could love her so much. So, just because I love her so much, I kiss her nose then plaster a fake smile on my face.

"Someday, I promise. But not for a very, very long time, right? Because you're my little girl, and I'm not willing to share you with any Prince just yet." I smile at her and she giggles in response.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Did your Prince come?"

"Yes, he did, sweetie. Now go to sleep. I love you." I kiss her forehead, turn on her nightlight then leave her bedroom and go into my bedroom, plopping down on the bed that I shared with two men.

I think about Sophia's question. _Mommy, did your Prince come?_ I told her yes, only because I didn't know what else to say. The truth is, I'm still confused as to whether or not my Prince came. Maybe he did already. Maybe it was Stefan, who gave me a child and a few years marriage. Maybe it was Damon, who also gave me a child and a spontaneous short relationship. Maybe he has yet to come.

**I'm well aware that I didn't update in a while. But for the past two weeks my schedule has been: wake up at 5, go to school, come home, do homework, quickly eat my dinner in five minutes, then go to this play practice that my school performs every year which is until 10, go to sleep at midnight. I've been exhausted. Then this week I had to catch up on more homework, sleep, and babysitting. But I updated, so I hope you're all happy! Next chapter is the final chapter and you might be a little mad at where I leave off. I'm going to do an Epilogue, which will be posted at the same time of the final chapter. But, I'm unsure if I'm going to do a sequel to this story, so it's kind of hard thinking about what I want the Epilogue to end off with. If I officially decide not to do a sequel, then I'll write a better, more finishing Epilogue.**

**Sound good? Good.**

**With this story ending, I'm starting a new story called "It's Like You're Screaming" which is from Rihanna's intro to We Found Love. So there's a sneak peek at that story, you now know that it's somehow related to the intro. Go on YouTube and listen to it! I'll give more of a plot in the next chapter of this story.**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I know that I lost some readers because this story was apparently too intense or sad or something and they just couldn't handle it anymore, I guess. I don't know if I should be insulted or if I should take that as a compliment. But, I'm still thankful to everyone who read this story, even if they stopped after the first chapter.**

**Need a good book recommendation? Currently, I'm reading "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. It's about a girl living in Nazi Germany during WWII who loves books, reading, and writing. It's kind of slow, but I'm really into it and I know it's only going to get better. Oh and GUESS WHAT?! My Grandpa died back in December and, like me and my cousin, he loved reading and collecting books. So, I got the Harry Potter series. Yep. All seven books. All hardcover. I miss my Pap like crazy, but it's like to have a little piece of him in book form. So now, I get to spend my whole summer reading the HP series and writing and eating Pizza Rolls at 2 AM. I seriously cannot wait for Summer 2013.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Finally updating! I know! So, as I'm typing this right now, it's exactly 1 hour and 50 minutes until The Vampire Diaries Season 4 finale episode. What better way of celebrating the end of the season by posting the last chapter and epilogue of my story. So, I knew how this was going to end for a while now, and as I was writing the last scene, I got teary eyed. I never got teary eyed over any of my previous stories. As I was writing the end I was listening to "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. So, put on that song as you read the end! Thanks to everyone who spent their time reading my story. I have another story called, "It's Like You're Screaming" so check that out! LOVE YOU ALL!**

It's been a few weeks of the same day-after-day routine. Wake up early every morning, be the best Mom I could be to my two loving children, they deserve it, and every few days switch Sophia with Stefan. Things between Stefan and I became much...more awkward. We don't talk anymore when we drop Sophia off at each other's house. Not even a "Hi." It's the ultimate co-parenting arrangement. But, I don't mind, honestly. He occupies his time with his work and Sophia and I occupy my time with Sophia and Caleb.

"Soph," I stand in the kitchen, scanning the cabinets for something for dinner. "What do you want for dinner? Your options are...mac' and cheese, pizza, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?" I look over my shoulder at my precious daughter who is sitting at the table, scribbling outside of the lines. But to her, her artwork is as amazing as da Vinci. I know for sure that her coloring of a dog wearing a hat will end up on my refrigerator.

"Um..." Sophia taps her chin, as if deciding what she wants for dinner needs deep thought. "A peanut butter and jelly sandwich sounds just great!" She giggles and I smile along with her. God, she sounds like such an adult. She's getting too big, too fast. Same goes with Caleb. I glance over at my son, who is watching his big sister. There's a smile on little pink lips. Caleb admired Sophia, especially when she showed him her silly antics. God only knows what Sophia will teach Caleb. I have a feeling little Miss Sophia will end up getting little Mr. Caleb into big trouble, just like I did with Jeremy when we were little. Ha.

"Peanut butter and jelly it is, then." I grab the bread and Jif's Peanut Butter and jelly out of the cabinet and start working on Sophia's sandwich.

I could get used to this life easily - I am already used to this life. Even though being a single Mom is no easy task, I love this job. I'm relying on money left over from the divorce, my parents trust fund, and the money I earned from my first book, which was apparently selling pretty good in the Young Adult department. I wish I could go on book tours and meet my readers, since they practically know nothing about me, but that's impossible in my situation. I know the money will run out soon, though, and I'll have to get a job. The only other option would be to publish my second book, which I sometimes work on when Caleb is taking his naps and when Sophia is at Stefan's or taking her own nap, and pray that the sales were as good as the first one.

After I finish making Sophia her sandwich, I make Caleb's bottle. I sit next to Sophia, holding and feeding Caleb, while she happily munches on her chips and sandwich, getting peanut butter all over her face. Sophia chats with me about silly things, like the latest drama in her television show that she watches. Something about how one character accidently broke his friends toy and whatever. I tried paying attention to her but all I could think about was how well I was doing with my kids. I don't need a man. No woman does. Sure, things are hard sometimes being a single parent, but that's the whole point of being a single parent. I survive and my kids are perfectly happy and healthy.

The doorbell makes me jump. I sigh heavily. It's a Sunday evening, who would be bothering me then? Probably some Girl Scout, begging me to buy her Thin Mint cookies. I stand up, still carrying Caleb, who is holding his own bottle and feeding himself. With my free hand, I open the door to see the person that I least expected to see standing at my doorstep than anyone else.

"Damon?" I say, raising my eyebrows and in complete shock. What the hell is he doing here? A part of me thinks that he wants me back, that he'll be begging me for my forgiveness. But the more sensible part of me tells me that he is here because he forgot something or maybe even drop off a wad of cash so things will be easier for me to take care of our son.

And he looks absolutely irresistible with his chiseled pale chin, his intense ice blue eyes that leave a mark on you, his raven black hair that shines in the light, his full pink lips that I can't count how many times I kissed. I swallow hard, admiring my ex boyfriend. This is the man that caused my life to fall apart. This is the man that caused me to weep at night, but then have to force myself out of bed when I heard Caleb's cries. "Elena..." He says, as if he was mesmerized by me.

I swallow hard, looking down at innocent Caleb then back up at him. "What are you doing here?" I mumble, still in disbelief that this man showed up on my doorstep out of nowhere.

Damon's eyes are fixated on his son, then they flicker back up at me. "Can we talk?" He says quietly.

I want to say no, I honestly do. There was no way in hell that I would just take Damon back into my arms, pretending like nothing ever happened. But instead, out of instinct, I suppose, I blurt out, "Yes." Damon's face floods with relief while I mentally slap myself. I mumble, "Wait here." Then I turn around and go back into the kitchen. I set Caleb back down on his little swing. "Soph, I'll be right outside. Keep an eye on your little brother for me, alright?"

Sophia nods and while I start walking towards Damon again, I hear her little voice. "Okay, Cal-bub! I'm in charge since I'm older." After that, I hear a chorus of giggles from both of them. _God only knows what they're doing._ But I let it go, let them have their fun.

As soon as we step outside on the porch and close the door, I cross my arms, trying to look as stern as I possibly can. Damon lets out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his ebony hair. "How's Caleb?" He asks.

"Fine. How's Katherine?" I spat.

Damon looks down at his black boots. I keep my chin up. "Katherine and I are over."

I try not to look or sound surprised. "Why? Did you run off to your high school sweetheart? What was her name? Oh, Charlotte, right?" I grit my teeth. "Didn't you like your lifestyle with Katherine anymore? Did she say no to sex one night?" I dramatically gasp and cover my mouth with my hand. "How terrible!" My voice is heavy with sarcasm. "You poor thing you! A whole night without sex, so tragic!"

He looks back up at me, sorrow in his eyes. "I deserve that." He _does_ sound remorseful. I'm not giving in, though. It'll take a whole lot more than a surprise visit to my doorstep for me to forgive him. I don't know if I'll ever forgive him. "But, no. Katherine just...she wasn't...what I wanted. I know, you're thinking what a total jackass I am now. And I know I am. When I was with Katherine, I realized that the partying and the drinking and all that sex wasn't the life that I wanted. I realized that I wanted the lifestyle I had with you." He takes a step towards me.

But I take a step away from him. "You can't be serious right now. Dammit, Damon! You left me because you wanted _that_ lifestyle. And now you expect for me to take you back, just like that?" I shake my head.

"Elena, I made the wrong choice earlier. Now I'm making the right choice." He says. "You have to make your choice too. You can choose me, you can choose Stefan, you can choose some other guy. But just know that I'm making the choose too. And I choose you."

"Do you honestly expect me to trust you after everything you did?" I reply then I lower my voice. "And Stefan is out of the picture, for good. We talked and we settled things already." I bit my lip. "Look, I don't know if you know this or not, but Katherine and Stefan had an affair. We were both cheated on." I shrug.

Damon nods slowly. "Yeah, I know. Katherine told me." He says quietly. Then he speaks up, "Elena, give me another chance, please. I know I've been a dick but I also know that I love you, Elena-" That's when I cut him off.

"-just leave, alright?"

He hangs his head, but nods. Then he leaves the porch and I watch him go, replaying our conversation over and over again my head.

* * *

Three days after the spontaneous-showing-up-at-my-doorstep event, Damon and I finally spoke again. This time it was with a phone call. It was right after I put Caleb down for a nap and Sophia was at Stefan's. I was just about to sit down and work on my novel when the phone rang. Nothing even bothering to glance at the caller ID, I answered the phone. "Hello?" I say casually.

"It's Damon." He says. I frown. What can he be calling about?

"What do you want, Damon?" I say into the phone, eager to get this conversation over with.

"I want to see my son. It's part of my fatherhood rights." He replies.

I scoff. "Fatherhood rights? Damon, you barely spent any time with him, now you expect just to come back and be the father that you're supposed to be with him?" I arch as eyebrow at my blank computer screen. I really wish Damon would just shut up so I can continue working on my paper.

"Yes, I do. I'm making it up to him, alright? Please, Lena..."

"Don't call me Lena." I insist, too sharply into the phone. Then I sigh and shake my head, knowing that he's right, that he's going to have to see Caleb sooner or later. And if I don't allow him to see Caleb now, I'm sure he'll just get a lawyer involved. "When do you want to come?" I say.

"Today?" He suggested.

"Fine. In about two hours or so? I just put him down for a nap and I don't want to wake him, he's a cranky little thing today." I frown, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. God, I was so tired. Caleb has been giving me a run for my money today and now I have to deal with Damon.

"Sounds good. I'll be there soon." He replies and we both hang up.

* * *

Two hours later, Damon comes by. I have written a lot, nearly a chapter full of sword fighting action that I've been craving to write. Fortunately, Caleb has slept the whole time so I was able to completely focus on my work. Unfortunately, Caleb was still asleep and now Damon's here. "He's still asleep," I say quietly as dashing Damon steps into the foyer. "Like I said before, he's cranky and I don't want to wake him."

Damon nods, looking around the house then he looks at me. "Where's Soph?" He asks in a whisper, as if Caleb can hear him from all the way upstairs.

"Stefan's." I sigh, going into the living room and plopping down on the comfy leather couch. I'm absolutely exhausted. Cranky Caleb kept me up all night and then I had to get Sophia to Stefan's and then I had to take care of Cranky Caleb all day and then I had to work on my book, deadlines were quickly approaching and my editor wants them as soon as possible.

Hesitantly, Damon comes over and sits on the couch next to me, leaving a wide space between us. I know that I should feel upset that he's only a few inches away from me, but instead I feel a splurge of excitement. I'm not supposed to feel that way, though. I'm supposed to hate him, to be angry and upset with him. Something tells me, though, that I won't be able to ever. No matter what someone does to hurt you, you'll always remember the good times you had with that person. And, sometimes, maybe those good memories will overtake the bad ones. Or maybe that's just the tiredness talking. I yawn and roll onto my side, my hands tucked beneath my cheek.

I must've dozed off because when I open my eyes, Damon is gone from the couch. I don't hear Caleb crying. The only things I hear are the television in the kitchen playing and the sink running. I stand up quickly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and go into the kitchen. Damon is standing by the sink, washing the dishes from breakfast while watching the Mystic Fall News. He looks over at me. "Did I wake you? Sorry."

I shake my head. "No," I yawn, still a bit sleepy from my cat nap. "Did Caleb wake up?" I ask, sitting at the breakfast nook, not even bothering to tell Damon that I could wash the dishes. After all, it's the least he could for me. I am grateful, though, don't get me wrong. It takes a man to do the dishes without being told.

"Nah, guess our little bugger likes to sleep in. Just like his Mommy." Damon's corners of his lips turn up in a small smile, but they return to normal as soon as he realizes that I didn't crack a smile at that. Then he frowns. "Elena, have you been getting enough sleep?"

I sigh, resting my chin on my palm, my elbow on the counter. "No. I told you, Caleb's been cranky..."

"Oh." Damon pauses. "Do you think he's teething?"

"No, it's too early for that." I shake my head. "Sophia was about one when she started teething. Although, the doctor said she was a little late than usual, but still normal. Maybe that's from being born premature."

"Right," Damon nods. I think he's pretending to know what he's talking about, but I know that he's clueless when it comes to babies. At least he's putting in the effort. "Go get some more rest. I'll get Caleb when he wakes up."

"I'm fine, Damon." I say, stubbornly.

"You're obviously not. Come on, a two hour nap will do you good. You deserve it." Damon pleads.

I shake my head.

Damon sighs heavily. "God damn those stubborn genes of yours. Fine, stay awake then. But only if you promise you'll let me take you out to dinner sometime this week. And, if not, then I will just have to pick you up, carry you to your room, then lock the door so you don't have a choice but to sleep." He points the soapy spoon at me, moving it up and down at me as if he's scolding me.

I can't help but to raise my eyebrows high. "Out to dinner? Like a date?"

Damon shrugs. "I guess. Mainly it'll just be me trying to convince you just how sorry I am and how guilty I feel." I purse my lips. I open my mouth to say something, but I'm interrupted by Caleb's cry. Damon looks at me, "That must be a yes, then. Friday at 7." And with that, he leaves the kitchen and goes upstairs. I follow him, grumbling to myself.

* * *

"You look lovely tonight, Miss Gilbert." Damon smiles, standing on the front porch. He's wearing a button up black shirt and jeans, his hair messy in just the right way. I opted for something comfortable, like him instead of typical date clothes. I'm wearing skinny jeans and a red long sleeve thermal, my hair falling in waves down past my breasts. Caleb's with Caroline for the night. I told her that I just wanted a night to myself. Needless to say, she'll shame me good if she finds out I'm on a date with Damon.

"Thank you," I say quietly, grabbing my jacket and leaving the house with him, making sure to lock the door. We get into his car and I notice that he still has two car seats in the back seat. One is pink and floral for Sophia. The other is a dark green for Caleb. We put them in a few weeks before Caleb was born. Well, he put them in, I just stood there and watched with my big stomach. It feels like a lifetime ago that we were both in this very same car going to the first ultra sound appointment for Caleb. I close my eyes, promising myself that I can cry about it all I want later. Right now, I have to prove to Damon that I'm doing just fine without a man. That may or may not be true. But I think you know the answer anyway.

We arrive at a little Italian restaurant. Damon helps me out of his car and we go inside to get a table. Dinner passes by uneventfully. Mainly, we just talk about Caleb and Sophia. Damon doesn't mention a word about Katherine and I don't mention a word about Stefan. We hit a fragile subject at one point, though, as we reminisced on a happier time, a time when I was expecting Caleb and we were living together as a little family. Once again, I had to force back the tears. _I can't cry in front of him. _I even have a glass of red wine. I can't remember the last time I ingested alcohol. Before Caleb was conceived? Yeah, I think that's when. Afterwards, Damon pays for our meal and he drives me home.

Once again, he helps me out of the car and walks me up to the door. He looks at me with his dazzling blue eyes and I look up at him. "Thank you for tonight. Dinner was nice." I nod. Quickly, I glance down at the time on my phone. It's 9:32. Caroline promised that she'll drop Caleb back off at my house at 10. I'll have nearly a half an hour to myself. And I'm highly tempted to dig into the wine stash and have another glass of wine. I'll definitely need it.

Damon nods and smiles. "Of course." He pauses, starring down at his feet. "I'll call you tomorrow, then, I want to see Caleb more often. Well, I better go. Thank you for accompanying me tonight, I had fun." He turns to leave.

But my voice stops him. "You shouldn't have left in the first place, Damon." I blurt out. Maybe it's the wine talking. God, I'm such a lightweight. I wasn't drunk, but the wine definitely did something with my brain cells to make them go out of whack. Damon freezes and looks back at me. Slowly, I walk over to the swing on the porch and sit down, setting my bag next to me. "Don't you get it? Everyone leaves me." I look up at him, feeling my eyes water.

"Elena..." Damon starts, slowly coming over to me and sitting down next to me.

"My parents died. Jeremy's married. Jenna moved out with Alaric. Stefan and I are divorced. And now you and me are over." Tears are now rapidly streaming down my face. The pain is exploding inside of me. "Even Sophia leaves me! She goes off with Stefan for a few days at a time. And now Caleb will be the same with you. I'm alone." I whisper, looking down and a tear rolls off my face and onto my jeans, creating a dark, wet circle on them.

"People make mistakes. That's human nature. If anything, you should know that. I made a mistake by leaving you and going back to Katherine." Damon tilts my chin up and forces me to look at him. I can see tears forming in his blue eyes. "No life is complete without at least one big mistake. My biggest mistake is leaving you. What's your biggest mistake?" He whispers.

"I-I don't know." My voice cracks. "It isn't marrying Stefan because if I didn't marry Stefan, then I wouldn't have Sophia. And it isn't sleeping with you because if I didn't, then I wouldn't have Caleb."

Damon nods, reaching out and gently wiping a tear from my cheek with his thumb. I don't protest. My heart races from his touch. "You're right. That means that you still have one big mistake left to make. I think I know what it is..." His voice trails off.

"What?" I sniffle, as he pulls his hand away from my face.

"I think that you'll biggest mistake in life will be if you don't forgive me. If you do forgive me, then that means you still have to make your big mistake. And I'll be with you the whole way when you make that big mistake."

That's the moment when I can't handle the pain anymore. I can't push Damon from me anymore, I need him. Despite everything he did to me, I need him. I can't help but rest my head against his chest. His arms wrap around me. I know that I'm taking a big gamble right now. I squeeze my eyes shut. The feeling of being alone suddenly disappears in his arms. That ache deep in my chest, the constant lump in my throat that constantly wants to dissolve into tears is suddenly gone. I feel Damon kiss my head as I sob, my tears hitting his black shirt. I'm taking a risk, but I need Damon as a constant in my life. "I'm sick of getting hurt, Damon."

"I know," He whispers.


	25. Epilouge

**This is the epilogue. It takes place a few months after the last chapter.**

"God, I can't believe our little boy is already one year already." Damon smiles as he and I go into Caleb's bedroom together. He's still sleeping peacefully in his crib. I nod and I nuzzle my head against Damon's chest. Damon snakes his arm around my waist and kisses the top of my head. My eyes water a bit at the sight of my one year old little boy. Damon looks down at me and notices the watery glisten in my eyes. "What's wrong, Lena?"

I smile sadly. A single tear rolls down my face. "I just...I can't believe he's one already. It feels like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Look at him, he's so big." I nod towards our son, who stirs at the sound of our voices.

Damon smiles too, brushing a lock of hair away from my eyes. "If you're worried that he's growing up too fast, don't. He'll always be a Momma's Boy." Damon kisses between my eyebrows. "And then maybe someday you'll give me that Daddy's Girl?"

"Slow down, cowboy." I shake my head, laughing softly. "We aren't having another kid anytime soon. Sophia and Caleb keep us on our toes enough and especially with my book coming out, I'll be touring all across the United States. But, most of all, because my finger is still ring-less." I quickly glance down to my left hand then look back up at him. "But don't mistaken that for me wanting to get married anytime soon. Because, I don't."

He laughs, a good hearty laugh. "Fine, fine. A few years, give or take?" He offers.

"Five."

He arches an eyebrow at me. "Three."

I consider it for a bit then nod, "Deal." I hold out my hand and we shake on it, jokingly. I laugh softly, but I know that our handshake is true. In three years time, we'll be married with another child on the way, hopefully.

You're probably wondering what has happened in the past few months. Damon convinced me that he was worth forgiving. And he is. He's proven himself as a father and an almost step-father to Sophia. It took me a while to fully put my trust back in him. He has fully deleted Katherine out of his life. He's there for me. That night on the porch, she stayed in that position for a while. Me, crying against him as he soothed down my hair. Things just kind of blossomed from there. I felt like a teenager again that night.

Suddenly, we hear Sophia's loud footsteps running down the hall. "It's Caleb's birthday!" She shouts then she enters the room and squeals again, "It's Caleb's birthday!" Damon smiles and picks her up so she can see her little brother. Finally, Caleb's eyes open, revealing his intense blue gaze just like his father's. Damon leans Sophia down so she can kiss Caleb's forehead. "Happy birthday, Caleb."

Caleb smiles at her, trying to say something that we can't decipher. But he giggles as he points to Sophia. Damon laughs, "You kids are just too much." He sets Sophia down then picks up Caleb. "Hey there, big boy." He kisses Caleb's nose.

I stand on my tiptoes and kiss Caleb's head. "Happy birthday. I love you." I whisper into his hear. He coos.

Damon gasps dramatically. "It's Caleb's birthday! You know what that means!" He grins.

Sophia's eyes go wide and she starts practically jumping up and down. "Birthday cake! Birthday cake!" She smiles even wider.

Damon laughs, "Well, that too. But I'm taking about amazing birthday pancakes." He gently pats Caleb's chubby belly. Caleb giggles in response.

I watch as my little family leave the bedroom, going downstairs to make birthday pancakes. Then, later, we're having a small party for Caleb. Just a few family and friends over. I leave the bedroom and follow them downstairs. My little family. All three of them.

Finally.

If there's anything I learned in the past year and few months it's that life is full of right and wrong choices. You can't regret any of those choices, though. Because, if you do, then that means you won't end up to where you are now. At the time, I thought sleeping with Damon was a wrong choice. Now, I realize that it was a right choice. Choices are tricky like that. That's life. Right and wrong.

**DONE! Wow. All 24 chapters and an epilogue. Whoa..**

**Thank you all so much. I seriously cannot be more grateful. It's kind of sad to see the end to this story, because I learned so much on the way. I used a lot of writing techniques in this story. I used some parallels (Come on, you had to have notice the parallel between Caleb's first birthday and Sophia's third birthday!) and foreshadowing, which I learned is probably one of my favorite writing techniques.**

**I highly suggest you check out my other story because I'm in frickin' love with it. It's called "It's Like You're Screaming". In the story, Elena moves to NYC with her friends and she had a past with a certain somebody and then they realize that NYC isn't so big after all. Best part of all? There is no Stelena in that one.**

**So, lovely readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers, this story is over. I want to thank everyone who read this, even if was just one chapter, and who reviewed, favorited, followed, everything. Especially those who reviewed every chapter. It means a lot.**

**CAN I ASK FOR ONE MORE FAVOR? I'm like 6 reviews away from reaching 300. I want to make 300 reviews for this story. Can at least six at you review? Pretty please?**


	26. New Blog!

Hello!

So, recently I started my own writing blog on Tumblr. I wrote a blog post about "Right and Wrong" and why I hated how I ended it and how I would've ended it. If you want to read it, the link to my blog is on my profile. Then just click on the link to the right that says, "Blogs about My Other Fan Fictions" and it's the only one there, currently.

If you haven't been reading my other story, "It's Like You're Screaming" I recommend you check that out. It's another Damon/Elena story minus the Stefan aspect.

Thank you!


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